We went camping about a month ago and I was blessed by the loving touch of Toxicondendron radicans; the dreaded poison ivy. It took about two weeks for the rash on my legs to run its course, during which time I told myself it was preferable over two other Minnesota attractions: Lyme disease or the West Nile virus.
There’s nothing like a bout of “urushiol-induced contact dermatitis” to make you better appreciate the absence of other unwholesome conditions.
Despite my investment in the book Outwitting Poison Ivy in preparation for this camping season, I had been defeated by the plant. The book certainly has useful information, and reading it while afflicted made it even more compelling, but alas, it would have benefited greatly from more color pictures.
So, clearly, it would be advantageous for me to improve my recognition capabilities of this woodland scourge, but “leaves of three, let it be” casts a wide net …

