My service typically consists of three parts: A 15-minute phone or email consultation. An onsite consultation and analysis of the poison ivy challenge, for which there is a one-time flat fee of $49.00. If you decide to have me remove the poison ivy, these charges will be deducted from the total cost of my work. What you select from the recommended list of options will determine the price of poison ivy control services. I will tailor control measures to your needs and budget.

Please see our blog post: https://umarmycka.com/how-many-kinds-of-poison-ivy-are-there/

The same way you tell the difference between Lions, Tigers and Bears (oh my!) Let me explain: A client who lives in the Philadelphia area recently wrote me to say that she had been to the doctor for a rash caused by poison oak, ivy or sumac, however she didn't know which. In fact, many people confuse these three plants (Poison Ivy, Poison Oak and Poison Sumac). I informed her that it was poison ivy, and she seemed surprised at my certainty, and questioned it. I explained that only poison ivy grows in the Philadelphia area, a fact that her doctor may have been unaware of. It's really an ironic situation when confusion about which plant grows in a yard in any region of this country is a result of an original intention by botanists to categorize the nature of these plants on a continental scale. To further explain: The botanists originally categorized the three plants together due to their common features and characteristics, which was a correct thing to do. The medical profession followed in this line of study and through their education, when patients would come to them exhibiting signs of rash, they would again group these three plants together as possible culprits, which was also correct. The issue of confusion begins when professionals and the general public alike do not realize that these three plants, though similar in nature, actually inhabit very different environmental niches. Just like in characters in The Wizard of Oz were anxious about running into Lions, Tigers or Bears, the chances of you or I encountering poison oak, sumac and ivy together in the same place would be as probably as winning the lottery (or meeting the Wizard).

So where would we encounter these different plants? For a moment imagine yourself leaving the front door of your home or apartment. It's a beautiful, sunny day. The temperature is mild, and you look around. You see other houses, streets, car activity, or a train in the distance... You are in Poison Ivy country. Poison ivy shares and lives in the same environment as people. Now pause for a moment, again picture you are leaving your home, but now when you look around, you see wetlands and marshes. A swampy channel surrounds your home. Welcome to Poison Sumac land. Once again, imagine yourself stepping out of your front door. This time, you look out to see an expanse of "fairly open, dry, savannah woodland of oak and pine." (Gillis, 1971, p488). In this case definitely keep an eye out for Eastern Poison Oak. (Just to clarify; I'm speaking of Eastern poison oak, not of Western poison oak.) So remember; relate the plants to the correct environment, and you'll know you what you are encountering (Oh my!).