Fire Island National Seashore - For Your Safety: Avoid Poison Ivy (U.S. National Park Service)

Poison ivy can cause a rash even in the winter or early spring, when few or no tell-tale leaves are visible.

The leaves and stems of poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) contain an oil, called urushiol, which can cause a red itchy rash or blisters several days after you touch it. This oil can be transferred from clothing, tools, and pets to your skin.

The best protection is to avoid contact with poison ivy or to wear protective clothing. Wash anything that may have come in contact with poison ivy before the oil touches your skin.

Tiny leaflets of poison ivy sprout up over boardwalk.

Quickly growing poison ivy sprouts may shoot up through the crevices in the boardwalks before the park's ranger and maintenance staff can remove them. Always be alert for these "leaves of three!"

Staying on the boardwalks usually helps you avoid poison ivy. This three-leafed plant can grow as a shrub or as a climbing vine.

In early summer, yellowish or greenish flowers with five petals appear and develop into small round off-white fruits by fall.

The leaves also turn red in fall, providing a cue to many birds which feed on the ripe fruit.

Man in red shirt washes his hands in white sink.

If you've been exposed to poison ivy, wash with soap and cool running water, preferably within an hour after exposure.

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