PSA: Beware Poison Ivy, the silent killer

Ok so I recently encountered poison Ivy while out hiking and had the thought to warn and remind people to stay vigilent against this silent killer. Ok it may not kill you but if you get a bad case of it you may want to be dead. Seriously though it can cause a life threatening secondary effect and require medical treatment such as antibiotics if your open wounds become infected. Read up on it and familiarized, and refamiliarize yourself with it. I see it growing on trails here, and there were even recent notices. Normally places will put up warnings about Ivy growing in an area and even may attempt to remove it, but it is becoming illusive (sic/pun), and is growing stronger every year due to CO2 increases and warmer weather. Think of chemical power increasing as temperature and chemicals are more abundant. A 5 degree change may be a 5 or 10% strength increase, as climates are better for plant growth plant strength and size may also increase. For nuisance plants like Poison Ivy, Poison Sumac and Poison Oak as well as Hog Weed this means the already potentially life endangering nuisance plans can turn into even more dangerous enviornmental contaminants. Programs to destroy plants like Hogweed in Russia have failed - if we too are taken over by these plants our ability to go topless or in shorts in wooded areas may be turned from a little foolish into dangerous activities. Now take some time to look at pictures of this plant and if possible draw it and color it in so you internalize the appearance of these " dangerous " plants.

NOTE: that tab picture may be related to infection .. if you have a yellow pus or soft yellow scabbing it can mean an infection has occurred