If you're in Texas, it's Poison Ivy. Poison Oak grows on the West coast. the leaf and habit is pretty different, but still 3 leaflets per leaf, and variable. Poison Ivy forms a vine more, but will also form a bush. best way to prevent it is wash and wash and wash again with a good oil cutting soap. I use dawn or the brand "technu" which is specific for poison ivy. If you're getting new breakout bumps, then you haven't washed it all off yet. Half frozen wet paper towels feel really good on it. No one is immune to poison ivy. For some people it takes more exposure. The more you are exposed to it, the more sensitive you become. You cannot develop an immunity.
________________________________ From: Charles Goldsmith <wo...@justfamily.org> To: Gill Edigar <gi...@att.net> Cc: "Deal, Dwight" <dirt...@comcast.net>; Cave Texas <Texascavers@texascavers.com> Sent: Tuesday, October 22, 2013 11:13 PM Subject: Re: [Texascavers] Poison-ivy and Karst Easy Gill, poison oak grows on trees :) On Tue, Oct 22, 2013 at 11:05 PM, Gill Edigar <gi...@att.net> wrote: I've never had anybody successfully identify the difference between poison ivy and poison oak for me. They look the same to my eyes. >--Ediger > > > >On Tue, Oct 22, 2013 at 6:15 PM, <dirt...@comcast.net> wrote: > > >>Poison-ivy and Karst >> >>How cave related can you get?? (I'll do everything I can to get this site >>back on track) >> >>I grew up in New York and was terribly allergic to poison ivy as a youngster. >> Like, someone burned some brush with the vines in the pile, a half-mile >>away. Good Lord, was I ever in an awful itchy situation after the smoke >>passed over me ------. Fortunately my lungs did not react. >> >>When I started to do karst and geological things in upstate NY, I discovered >>two things: >> >>1. To see the bedrock I had to crawl on my belly like a snake up stream beds. >> >>2. I could map the limestone without ever seeing it, just by mapping where >>the lush poison ivy grew. (THAT is the Karst tie-in) >> >>After I came West, I could more easily see Rocks and I gradually lost my >>extreme reaction. But I learned what George cautioned: Immunity is lost by >>repeated exposure. >> >>Then I moved to Texas and discovered Poison Oak. It makes TREES going up the >>cliffs with trunks as big around as Bob Oakley's thighs around springs in the >>Big Bend. ESPECIALLY in what is now Big Bend Ranch State Park. >> >> >> >> >> >> >
