Good to know
When you are traipsing around on the grasslands, the woods, or most anywhere, a good thing to know is what does poison ivy look like in the winter. You can get still get contact dermatitis even in the winter if you are allergic to the oils. And all parts of the plant have the oils. I am allergic to it and try to carry alcohol wipes to wipe off the oils if I think I grabbed it by accident. I have never gotten it by petting Gracie even though she goes through it all the time. Guess the oil does not adhere to her fur coat.
If you see some waxy looking berries, poison ivy…
Don’t eat the berries! A good food source for birds.
Sometimes a hairy vine is a clue that it is poison ivy. Virginia Creeper also can be similar with the rootlets as well.
Not all grows in vine form. Two views of a single stalk. Look at the buds.
The buds are coming out on the sides. Hope this helps makes a safe adventure for you!
Egg mass on a Honey Locust tree. The eggs had already hatched.
I thought this was a leaf at first stuck on another Honey Locust tree till I got closer. I believe it belongs in the Owlet Moths and kin (Noctuoidea) superfamily.
I was surprised to see the tiny light greenish eggs when I got closer. Not sure if the eggs belong to the moth or not. The moth seemed to be dead so I brought it home to get a better look.
Close up of eggs.
A back view.
And finally this morning, this buck did something strange. It started to follow us even with Gracie being with us. He went along the outer edge of woods as we walked. Eventually he came into the woods as we moved further around on our trail, but Gracie finally had something to say and off he went. I think I see him near the house on many a morning.
Good education on poison ivy!
The moth seems vaguely familiar. I might be able to help tomorrow if i have moth book. But you might have the book 😏
Wow the close up of the moth and eggs is awesome. You can really appreciate the detail when magnified. Both the eggs and the moth too. Love these closeups.