Everyone on camping trip thinks they know what poison ivy looks like - The Beaverton

Everyone on camping trip thinks they know what poison ivy looks like

ALGONQUIN, ON – Last weekend, a group camping trip set out with all five members believing they had the ability to quickly and accurately identify poison ivy.

“Poison ivy? Don’t even worry about it,” said Jeff Lewis, a 25 year-old bank teller, “just keep an eye out for any thorns. That’s the easiest way to identify it.”

The route, which requires the group walk unassisted through poorly cleared areas, was planned by self-described “woods-woman” Stephanie Potts. Despite having little training beyond three years of summer camp, Potts reported that spotting the plant would be “beyond easy”.

“You just have to remember the rhyme: ‘if it smells like boysen, then it’s poison’!” said Potts, misusing a rhyme meant for identifying boysenberries, “knowing my friends, I’ll probably have to save both Jeff and Michelle’s asses at least once.”

Notwithstanding their varying and contradictory descriptions, the five friends are confident they’ll at least be able to spot the plant’s telltale black-spotted leaves as they hike. While some are in favour of destroying all the ivy they come across, Tim Pasternak, a master’s student in environmental studies, hopes he can convince his friends to view the plant as an essential part of the ecosystem and not just as a nuisance.

“Destroying the plant is just irresponsible. What people don’t realize is that the ivy fruits support dozens of insect and mammal species,” said Pasternak, pointing to a young juniper bush, “not to mention, if there was no poison ivy then we’d never see its beautiful flowers again.”

At press time, the group had settled down to sleep in a field of red-stemmed plants with almond-shaped leaves.