Poison ivy

Description:

Poison ivy is a poisonous North American plant that is well known for its production of urushiol, a clear liquid compound found within the sap of the plant that causes an itching rash in most people who touch it. The deciduous leaves of poison ivy are trifoliate with three almond-shaped leaflets. Leaf colour ranges from light green (usually the younger leaves) to dark green (mature leaves), turning bright red in fall; though other sources say leaves are reddish when expanding, turn green through maturity, then back to red, orange, or yellow in the fall. The leaflets of mature leaves are somewhat shiny. The berry-like fruit, a drupe, mature by August to November with a grayish-white color. Fruits are a favourite winter food of some birds and other animals. Seeds are spread mainly by animals and remain viable after passing through the digestive tract.

Notes:

Climbing up a shagbark hickory tree.