Myra, my wife's aunt, recently came down with a bad rash caused by contact with poison ivy while she was weeding her garden. Her allergic reaction to poison ivy also came as a complete surprise to her.

Even though she knew she was pulling on poison ivy, you see, she'd never had a reaction to poison ivy before. At 80 years old, she thought she was immune and didn't perceive the poison-ivy plants as a threat.

Over the years, I've acquired certain allergies, too; I've also outgrown some.

Up until I was a teenager, I didn't get poison ivy.

That was decades ago, though. So now, whenever I'm weeding, I look twice prior to pulling.

Then, if I must work around poison ivy, I dress accordingly -- long sleeves, long trousers, a hat and disposable latex gloves -- because when any part of a poison ivy plant is bruised or burned, at any time of year, it secretes urushiol oil, the compound responsible for poison ivy rashes.

In fact, within hours of any contact with urushiol oil, even contact with clothing or tools exposed to the oil, an itchy, painful rash can result.

Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) grows wild throughout North America. I've seen 40-foot-tall specimens growing through the tops of trees.

Poison ivy leaves are green, shiny, ivy-shaped and arranged in groups of three. Fall foliage may be red, orange, yellow or bronze. During summer, the plants produce light green flowers, followed by yellow-white berries that are relished by wildlife during fall.

Curiously, birds and animals that feed on poison ivy berries or foliage aren't harmed. For people, however, consuming any part of a poison ivy plant can be fatal.

How to cope

The best way to prevent a poison ivy rash is to learn what the plant looks like and avoid it.

You can find lotions that you can apply to skin prior to working in proximity to poison ivy -- such as Ivy Block -- that are supposed to prevent the rash.

You can also stop a poison ivy rash from occurring by washing your skin with special soaps, such as Tecnu Extreme Poison Ivy Scrub. Cleansers, such as Tecnu Poison Oak and Ivy Treatment, will decontaminate clothing, pets and tools.

I always check with my pharmacist regarding the specifics of using these and similar products before I use them. So should you.

Herbicides labeled for poison ivy, such as Roundup, will kill the plants. Just make certain to follow their directions.

And don't forget, too, folks unaffected by poison ivy can help you get rid of it.

This week in the garden

With fireflies lighting the night, Japanese beetles aren't far behind.

Lou Boulmetis is a certified master gardener who lives in Littlestown, Pa. Call him at 1-888-727-4287 or e-mail hippodromehatter@aol.com.

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