Is it Poison Ivy or Virginia Creeper?

Is it Poison Ivy or Virginia Creeper? A very important question! If you don't know the answer you could end up with quarter-sized blisters that ooze, burn and itch, like these:

Poison Ivy blisters

 

 

Yikes! Nobody wants that, right? The two plants can appear to be similar at first glance, especially in the middle of summer when they are both growing like crazy. In fact, they do have a couple of similarities: both can be found as a vine climbing trees, etc., and both can appear as a small shrub or growing along the ground.
But there are three good ways to tell them apart.

The first way is by looking at the leaves. The Virginia Creeper has leaves in groups of five, with finely-toothed edges.  Poison Ivy leaves are in groups of three, with irregular teeth, and tend to be shiny.

Virginia Creeper

Poison Ivy 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Secondly, Virginia Creeper is held in place by small, branching tendrils, and Poison Ivy has a woody vine that looks like a hairy snake! The Poison Ivy vine is really visible in winter, when there are no leaves to hide it.

The third way to tell is in mid to late summer when the berries form. Virginia Creeper has a bluish-black berry that resembles a small grape. Poison Ivy has smaller, whitish berries that hang in clusters.

Both plants provide food for wildlife. Neither the leaves or berries of Poison Ivy seem to have any negative effects on animals. But humans need to stay away from the plant. It's not that difficult to tell them apart, just make sure you don't get too close while you're looking!