The new leaves are so pretty - if this plant didn't irritate so many people, I know they would be cultivating it. It's pretty in the spring, some have leaves that gorgeous scalloped edges and then the color in the fall is fantastic. Plus the birds adore the berries. But yep, poison ivy.

I can't determine if number 3 is poison ivy, but it is definitely not poison oak or sumac. Would need an up close picture of the leaves. Number 2 is too small for me to tell, as well. I am suspicious of number 1 being poison ivy or oak, though.* None of the plants are poison sumac. That is a definite. Here is how you can tell if you have poison ivy: 1. There will be 3 leaflets on one leaf stem, continuing up the branch in sets of 3. This means that the branch will never have single leaves growing from it. (Poison sumac is different) These leaflets will NEVER occur directly across from each other, they will always be alternate. 2. The middle leaflet almost always has a longer stem than the other 2. It never has a shorter stem. 3. The leaflet's side veins (not the main vein that goes from stem to leaf tip) are alternating in pattern, never across from each other. * This is the reason I am suspicious of number 1 possibly being poison oak or ivy. 4. The base of the leaf stem will be thickened, like a celery stalk. 5. Poison ivy flowers are tiny, white or pale cream, hang in clusters. They may or may not be fragrant. They will alternate on flower stem. 6. If flowers were present, fruit may show. It will be smaller than a pea, light green when young, white when ripe, resembling a tiny peeled orange. There will be black stripes between segments on the fruit. 7. If poison ivy is injured by bugs or damaged in any way, it will exude a resin. When this resin dries, it will make pitch black spots or lines on the plant. This is an excellent way to determine if you have poison ivy or oak. Using a shovel, crush part of the stem. By the next day, you should be able to see the black resin, if it is poison ivy or oak. 8. Poison ivy does not twine around trees. It's growth is pretty much straight up. 9. Eastern Poison Ivy vines, when established (think older plant), resemble old, frayed ropes, due to their aerial roots. Western Poison Oak will not have obvious aerial roots. Stems will be strong and flexible, not wimpy. New bark is reddish brown, older bark will be a weathered gray. New leaf growth is usually red, but not always. Fall color may be vibrant or dull. You will NEVER see the following: 1. Flowers growing from the end of a stem 2. Single, large flowers 3. Flowers any color other than cream or white 4. Upright flowers 5. Fruit larger than a pea 6. Red, blue, or purple fruit 7. Leaf stalks directly across from each other on the stem 8. Sharp spines 9. A vine twining like a barber pole Here is a link that might be useful: Poison Ivy This post was edited by AuroraWA on Thu, Jul 24, 14 at 0:44

George, my understanding of a dynamic accumulator is a plant with deep roots that mines minerals from the soil and stores them in it's leaves. By cutting leaves from the plant and using as mulch you have brought micro-nutrients from deep in the ground and made them available to another plant, such as a fruit tree. If you grow comfrey near the tree, you can chop off part of the comfrey leaves and drop them around the tree to improve the growth of the tree. Sort of like fertilizing and mulching at once without having to haul in anything to do it with. It has long been known that legumes set nitrogen for other plants, and work with the bacteria in the soil, but now there is a good deal of research and information being shared about how trees interact with each other through a fungi net underground. There are several videos available on line and I have linked one below. I have become very interested in the things that Mother Earth seems to do to try to heal herself. For instance, if you have a compacted lawn, dandelions show up. They have roots that go deep and start to open up the soil. I have watched videos lately that show areas in the middle east that have had plants come back that they thought were extinct, and the only action has been to fence off the area from the grazing animals. I seem to have changed the way I look at many things, and am learning that there are a lot more things we can do to help our earth function better. When you have 30 minutes to spare, watch this documentary by John D Liu. I'll bet if you watch it once, you will watch it more than once. It is thought provoking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iJKiFSQLn4 .............Mother needs a little more help from us. Here is a link that might be useful: Suzanne Simard

Flame thrower. Whatever else is out there will just have to go to. Now that it is growing again I REFUSE to walk down 22nd street, last year I spent 6 weeks taking steroids and a couple of years back spent 3 months on steroids, missing tons of work both times and miserable. Poison IVY, caught both times in the vicinity of 22nd street. It's growing at the old orphanage, all over the fence and was at my old house just around the corner from same. I'm itching reading this post! TallyHO! Oh, buy some of that ivydry stuff before you go near it, they changed the name but Wally world and all the drug stores carry it, look by the calamine lotion.