Danger!
Poison-Oak (Toxicodendron Diversilobum)
Redwood Park, Oakland CA
September 2008 : Nikon D80
The poison-oak is in full bloom all thru the Oakland/Berkeley hills. The worst time of the year is early spring when the leaves are still green and oily, and hard to spot. But by late summer/early fall the hills are covered with the bright red leaves that say STAY AWAY! Even children know what the plant looks like.
From Wikipedia:
Botanist John Howell observed that Toxicodendron diversilobum’s toxicity obscures its merits. “In spring the ivory flowers bloom on the sunny hill or in sheltered glade, in summer its fine green leaves contrast refreshingly with dried and tawny grassland, in autumn its colors flame more brilliantly than in any other native, but one great fault, its poisonous juice, nullifies its every other virtue and renders this beautiful shrub the most disparaged of all within our region.”[1]
Getting poison-oak is really nasty. The most common way to pick it up is from a dog’s fur. Pet dog, then wipe sweat off forehead. Next day, goodbye forehead, and any other part of your body you may have touched. Like eyelids.
Usually takes about 2 weeks to get over it, if you’re lucky.
