Spotting Poison Ivy + Tips
We wanted to remind you, as the rain stops and the weather heats up, that poison ivy is hot, too! You should know if you are allergic to it, because the rash is something you’ll remember. Whether you rub up on it while crossing a trail, or the unfortunate event you use it as toilet paper while squatting in the woods, the itch is terrible! While poison ivy is still present in the winter the leaves go dormant. Running Austin trails in the summer you will definitely see plenty of poison ivy. Along Lady Bird Lake there is tons of it! You’ll also see it in spots on the Barton Creek Greenbelt, and other fairly dense wooded areas. While not everyone is allergic to it, its worth avoiding just in case.
Know how to detect poison ivy
You will see 3 leaves on the stem - no more. The plant will be green with a reddish stem in spring, and the leaves will change color in fall to reddish yellow. It can grow as a vine on other plants or trees, but also can grow straight up as smaller stems/shoots out of the ground. Below are some pictures for you.
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Virginia Creeper (non poisonous/ not Poison Ivy)
A common plant confused for poison ivy on Texas trails is Virginia creeper. This plant has 5 leaves on a stem and doesn’t change colors in the fall like Poison Ivy does. It also appears more serrated. It is not poisonous to touch thankfully.
An oily resin called Urushoil is what easily gets transferred from poison ivy on your skin and causes the terrible itchy rash. Sometimes this causes severe cases that need a steroid injection to clear it up. Most times an antihistamine and anti itch cream can help. Also Calamine lotion can help.
Tips to avoid poison ivy
1) Stay on the trail (in the center of the trail). The trails are usually less invaded by poison ivy. Bushwhacking can lead you right through it if you’re not careful.
2) Wear high socks, or pants/ long sleeves. This is hard to do while running in the Texas heat, but when possible we would recommend it.
3) Wash off as soon as possible when potentially in contact with poison ivy. Using a good soap that removes oil like Dawn or some special poison ivy soaps such as Tecnu have been helpful. You will want to put your clothes straight in the wash too, so the oil doesn’t spread onto other things. Some other items you might want to throw in the car are some of these WILDLAND Poison Oak & Ivy Exposure Wipessold at REI. Or if you know you are going to be running into poison ivy on a trail, run where you’ve run into it before and try these pre exposure wipes.
4) Make sure you’re 100% sure about the leaves you use if popping a squat in the woods.
With the weather warming up, the Austin trails are likely to be booming. Especially while folks are getting outside after a year of lock-down, you will see the trails bustling. Try to keep on the trails and remember some of these tips next time you’re out there. We hope we can help spare you a rash this year.