For those not in North America: this is a plant which secretes an oil on its leaves and stems where even touching it gives you an itchy rash which lasts for weeks.

    • Rozz@lemmy.sdf.org
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      1 year ago

      I’ve been trying to figure out how I almost never saw poison ivy as a kid who wandered through the woods often, but now I see it everywhere (in the same general area). Am I just an adult looking out for it now or is is actually growing more?

  • over_clox@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I think (not totally sure) I’m possibly one of the lucky ones that doesn’t have a reaction to poison ivy. Poison sumac is a totally different story though, I’ve been stung by that stuff a couple times before. No fun. ☹️

    • neanderthal@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Are you sure? Poison Ivy, Oak, and Sumac all have the same oil, uriushiol. Maybe giant hogweed? Maybe something easy to mistake for Poison Ivy like Virginia Creeper?

      • over_clox@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        You’re very likely right on point. Honestly I only recall one bad encounter with poison sumac back when I was 7, but haven’t had any reaction since then. And I grew up playing out in the woods, so I’m pretty sure I’ve encountered almost every plant the Gulf Coast has to offer in the wild.

        Another commenter mentioned that their family was known to build a resistance/immunity to it after their first encounter.

        🤷‍♂️

    • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      My older cousin told me our family was immune when I was little. To prove it he grabbed some barehanded and rubbed it on my arm.

      Apparently we get it once super bad, and then our immune system ignores it? Which is even weirder, but that’s the only time I had a reaction

    • Rozz@lemmy.sdf.org
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      1 year ago

      While I was reading the title I was trying to decide if this was about comics or real life