What Poison Ivy Looks Like
Poison ivy is known to have a few easily identifiable traits, making it easy to distiguish from other non-poisonious plants.
Namely, poison ivy always has three smooth leaves. Younger leaves are light green while mature leaves are dark grean. There are little to no serrated edges on the leaves and the more mature leaves are glossy. In the fall, it's common for the leaves to turn a bright red color. In addition, the vine has a hairy texture and there may also be whitish colored berries growing from the poison ivy vine or bush.
Because of these distinguised features there have been a few rhymes inspired to help determine if the plant is safe to touch. They're quite catchy and are useful for teaching your child to recognize this poisonious plant. A few I can recall are:
- Leaves of three, let it be!
- Berries white? Run with fright!
- Hairy vine? No friend of mine!
Pictures of Poison Ivy Leaves and Vines
