I Love Poison Oak

As the Fall season really begins to set in, I always find myself stopped dead in my tracks at the beauty of the Poison Oak changing color before losing its leaves. Each leaf glowing like a fairy light as the fall sun shines through, the native Toxidenron diversilobem (Pacific Poison Oak) is one of the very few leaves that changes color within the Santa Cruz Mountains - where I typically roam. And it is definitely the most striking!

While many find this colorful plant to be an unwelcome neighbor amongst our native landscapes the poison oak plant truly means us no harm. One could eat this "poison" plant with no worry of poisoning while many of its neighbors would kill us dead. For the plants of the Sumac family - like poison oak - the oil resin in their leaves, stem and fruit actually acts somewhat like the slime of a self-sealing tire. When anything damages the outside of the plant the resin, urushiol, seals it over to prevent hazards from the outside world from getting in. It's simply unhappy accident that makes the poison oak a foe to many. Only humans and hamsters have ever been found to wind up with the nasty side-effects that its urushiol lays on us.

It takes a few hours to sink deep enough into the skin. If one takes notice of the contact, it can be quite manageable to avoid adverse reactions. Proper planning helps! Get yourself an ivy-off or Technu type product and keep it close by when heading into poison oak habitat. Mugwort, Ceanothus, and Bay Laurel leaves also contain oils which bind with the urushiol and help remove it from the skin and can be mighty helpful in a pinch! Just mush up any one of the aforementioned plants (a little water helps) and rub it on the area. Rinse with water.

I've seen Poison Oak in every color but blue! How many colors have you seen it show? How many colors can you find one one leaf? Try to find some poison oak on your next adventure! Leaves of 3, smooth -often reddish- stem. Can grow as a vine or bush.