Landing the Big One

Landing the Big One

Wednesday, July 01, 2015

Disaster Prep Wednesday: Things to Avoid in the Wild - Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, Poison Sumac

A quick series of videos about identifying and avoiding outdoor nuisances that probably won't kill you, but can make your life miserable.









And a nice written guide here.

Atlantic Poison Oak range
You might note that there is an East Coast form of poison oak which actually appears in a fairly large area as shown in the adjacent map.

Poison Sumac range
Poison sumac is not a concern in the Western U.S. but can be an issue in the East:




Western poison ivy
Poison ivy comes in two varieties, Western:




Western Poison Ivy Range


And Eastern:
Eastern PoisonIvy


Eastern Poison Ivy Range

One other plant to be wary of Rhododendron (and the Azalea) - not dangerous to the skin, but you can get very sick or even die if you cook food using branches from rhododendron plants as skewers.

If, in the event of a disaster, you plan to take to the woods, it is a good idea to know what plants you should avoid.

2 comments:

  1. Preparation H works pretty good for relief when someone has been in contact with these types of plants.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous6:11 PM

    Thanks for the great tip about Rhododendron and Azalea.

    ReplyDelete