POISON IVY - "See 3 & Leave It Be" Is Confusing
Have you ever heard the poison ivy warning saying?: "See 3 Let It Be". I learned that in Girl Guides/Girl Scouts. In other words, if you see a cluster of 3 leaves - leave it be - don't touch! - It's poison ivy. However, as a child I always found that confusing because it seems like there are so many plants with clusters of three leaves.
Hopefully today I will be able to clear up that confusion so that you will be able to avoid poison ivy/poison oak while gardening (at the end of this post I provide pictures of poison oak and poison ivy).
GREEN BEANS
This is a picture of a green bean plant (bush green bean) and notice the cluster of three leaves!! (see first two pictures below). These are NOT poison ivy. A beginner gardener might pull this plant thinking that it was poison ivy.
In the post below, I feature a few green bean recipes and other bean tips:
(click HERE to view "5 Must-Grow Veggies for Home Gardeners - BEANS")
BLACKBERRIES
These two pictures below show that blackberry leaves also have clusters of three leaves. These leaves have a much more jagged edge than poison ivy leaves.
In the post below, I show the amount of patience it takes to grow fruit but I also include some delicious recipes.
POISON IVY & POISON OAK
The difference between poison ivy and poison oak is the shape of each leaf. The cluster of three is still the same, it is just the shape that is different. The first picture below is poison ivy - the leaf edge is smooth. The second and third pictures are pictures of poison oak because the leaves resemble the shape of oak leaves.
The main preventative in getting a poison ivy rash is being able to identify the plant so that you can avoid touching the leaves completely.
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You might be interested in viewing this video:
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Yes, I know, that see 3 thingy doesn't always work, does it? As a child, poison ivy used to make a mess of me as I loved to play in the woods. Thanks so much for linking up at the #UnlimitedLinkParty 118. Pinned.
ReplyDeleteAngie, CONGRATS! Your post is FEATURED at the #UnlimitedLinkParty 119!
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