An article in the New York Times tells the true story of a Texas couple who was filling the trunk of their car with beautiful red-leafed plants to take home to make table decorations from the foliage.

Unfortunately, those red leaves were poison ivy.

Keep up your guard

This tale is a good reminder to gardeners that itchy poison ivy plants aren't just a concern during the summer months. As you head out to work in your garden or yard this fall, be sure to keep up your guard against poison ivy.

Poison ivy contains an oil called urushiol, which triggers an allergic reaction in most people when it gets on their skin. Although actually touching the plant can lead to the extremely itchy, blistered rash, other types of encounters with poison ivy while you're gardening or doing yard work can also lead to trouble. The oil can get on your clothes or shoes, for example. Your rake, shovel, and other tools can also pick up the oil. As a result, touching these objects later can lead to the rash.

This means that you really need to be able to spot this plant if it appears on your property. Like many other plants, poison ivy leaves turn colors in the autumn. They turn yellow, orange, or red in early fall while other foliage may still be green. Poison ivy can grow from the ground like a weed or shrub, or it can grow as a hairy-looking climbing vine on trees.

How to identify poison ivy

However, the best way to identify poison ivy is by the way it grows its leaves: in clumps of three. Two leaves grow out across from each other from either side of the stem, and a third leaf is centered between them. The plant may also have white, waxy berries.

Be prepared

If you suspect that you're going to be working around poison ivy this fall, wear long sleeves, long pants, and gloves. Wash your protective gear - and your garden tools - after using them. If you think you've touched poison ivy, wash your skin in cool water as soon as possible to remove the oil. If you do get a rash, avoid scratching if possible - scratching can cause a skin infection. Over-the-counter skin remedies containing corticosteroids or treatments such as calamine can help relieve your symptoms.

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