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On July 11th, Sheila, Shirley Devan, and her friend Susie and I and many others helped with the Annual Butterfly Count at the National Wildlife Refuge. I had stopped there many times before, but did not know about the butterfly trails. We broke into groups once there and Shirley, Susie, and I decided to join the group that hiked the butterfly trails near the refuge with Larry Brindza as our guide and later on hiked on Fisherman‘s Island with the help of a friend from DGIF. Sheila joined a group that went to Kiptopeke.
We saw many types of butterflies, but according to our guide, the numbers were down from two years before. We started at the butterfly garden beside the refuge where we saw Silver-spotted Skippers, Variegated Fritillaries, a Common Buckeye, many kinds of Swallowtails, and American Ladies. Out on the trails that were filled with flowering fennel and many blackberries, we saw many Eastern Tiger Swallowtails and Black Swallowtails. Our guide saw a large Palamedes Swallowtail near the edge of the woods across a field. We also saw Spicebush Swallowtails that have a blue color on the bottom of their wings that is not as deep a blue as the female Tiger Swallowtails. Near the end of the trail we saw some Orange Sulfurs and a Little Glassywing and some small moths.
After that we hiked on the road that is not open to the public that leads all the way back to where the bridge tunnel first connects to Eastern Shore. We saw many bare pines damaged by Isabell. Three Ospreys had nests in the tops of the trees and spent much time circling and crying as we walked. On our way down we saw a few butterflies, but as we got closer to the water we saw many Wood Nymphs and irregularly flying American Snouts that have an extended snout that can be clearly seen. We took some pictures between the two bridge spans and hiked under the bridge to the other side, where our guide showed us where the Monarchs land on their migration. They like a group of Russian Olives and a particular Pine tree. We hiked back up the road and on the way to our cars our guide spotted a Hackberry Emperor in its native tree and we were lucky that it decided to land on the road near us so we could get a close-up look. After that we took a lunch break back at the Refuge.
Our next adventure took place at Fisherman‘s Island. We drove to a place where we could leave our cars and hiked under the bridge to a spot where there are many Wax Myrtles. (This was the spot where the Monarch migration was first discovered and since then, there has been a yearly tagging of the butterflies. Our guide leads this program.) Then we hiked down on the beach where it was low tide. There were many pretty shells and Pelicans and Cormorants fishing or resting on some stakes in the water. We headed inland on a interior path and stopped to rest on old concrete barrier where we could see three juvenile Ospreys on a nest built on a small tower, We saw an unusual tree called Hercules Club that looked like it had armor on its trunk. We continued hiking and saw some nesting sites for turtles and a few swallowtails. We saw a beautiful Night Heron near a pond and a Flycatcher. Finally, we saw a Tiger Swallowtail that was so gorgeous that he may have just come out of his chrysalis. He was resting with both his wings open. Across the marsh many egrets were fishing. We returned to our cars to head back to the refuge. What a wonderful trip!
-Charlotte Boudreau
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Many times I‘ve amused young people by showing them how to identify poison ivy and then thoughtlessly sticking my head under a batch of it growing out from a tree when I saw something interesting below. I do know my poison ivy! Part of my job is to keep kids safe on nature walks, and they always get a poison ivy lesson when we find it.
Poison ivy is a native plant that grows extensively throughout Hampton Roads. Birds and other wildlife eat its berries and leaves. It has gotten a bad rap. It is not an evil people-poisoning plant–it‘s just trying to keep predators off and spread its seeds, like most other plants.
Poison ivy can be identified with the help of the old saying, ―Leaves of three, let them be. Look for three leaflets at the end of a leaf stalk, with the leaflet at the top of the ―triangle having a longer stem than the two on the sides, and the ―side leaflets having about a 45- to 90-degree angle. The leaves will be entire or slightly lobed, somewhat like the pattern your fingers make when you hold them tightly together. Other plants have ―leaves of three, but they have toothed edges or have different angles. Another clue is clusters of berries that change from green to white to slightly tan with time. Its flowers are tiny, greenish-white, and five-petaled.
Poison ivy can be suspected when you see plants that have similar habitat requirements—edge environments with partial sun combined with higher places like fences or trees where birds and other animals rest. Among the plants that call for a poison-ivy alert are greenbriar, honeysuckle, Virginia creeper, trumpet vine, wild blackberry, and English ivy. When you see them, you should sharpen your eyes for those leaves of three. And although it seems to prefer partial sun, it also seems like any little patch of sunlight will do, so I have seen it in the forest. But I have rarely seen it in full sun or deep shade.
Remember to look in four different ―altitudes – ankle-high plant-lets that are easy to miss until you‘re in the middle of them, stereo-typical ―hairy vines growing up trees, fences, and other platforms, shrubby patches that look like average everyday bushes, and branches that stick out from trees and masquerade as innocent tree branches. All four are poison ivy, and all four can affect you.
Poison ivy is something of an exaggerated name. The plant DOES cause an allergic reaction in most people, but a significant proportion of people (around 15 percent) have no reaction at all to it. The people who do react to it can have symptoms ranging from a few bumps that look like mosquito bites but are clustered in one area to a serious rash that can be painful and seep. Poison ivy causes an itch like no other allergen—persistent and maddening.
The allergenic part of poison ivy is an oil on its leaves and stems called urushiol. This oil is a ―persistent oil, meaning it is some-what sticky and clings to skin, clothing, pets, and solid objects upon contact.
Poison ivy does not ―spread by itself, like some diseases do. You can‘t ―catch it by walking past it. Poison ivy affects only the area that the oil comes into contact with. People DO spread the oil by touching the affected area while it still has the urushiol and then touching themselves elsewhere. The one time that it will seem like you ―caught it will be if you burn poison ivy along with other brush – then you get the full treatment inside and out! And for the highly allergic, poison-ivy-laden smoke inhalation will send you to the hospital.
The poison ivy oil does not cause an allergic reaction for 12 to 24 hours. If someone who comes into contact with it washes it off 
within a few hours, most likely they will have no reaction at all. Most experts recommend removal within 30 minutes just to be safe.
People who come into contact with poison ivy should wash the affected area as soon as possible with soap and lukewarm water. Any clothing, shoes, tools, sporting equipment, or other implements that come into contact with poison ivy should also be washed off with soap and warm water or with rubbing alcohol or another solvent. Pets exposed to poison ivy should also be washed, since they can spread the oil to you! Persistent relapses of poison ivy rash may be due to contact with objects, clothing, or pets that have the oil from previous exposure.
If a rash develops from contact, any topical antihistamine should be effective in relieving symptoms in light cases. Benedryl and Caladryl are two readily available brand name topical antihistamines. Severe reactions require a doctor‘s care.
Once a person develops the poison ivy rash, it is NOT contagious to other people. By the time the rash develops, the oil is gone. The fluid from blisters that may develop is basically blood serum, and does not contain the oil.
Susceptibility to urushiol can change over time—sometimes people who seemingly ―never get it can develop a rash after exposure. So it is always best to be safe and avoid exposure when possible.
I like poison ivy. It is beautiful year-round, from its stark wintry lines and berries hulls to its brilliant autumn foliage. You have to admire something that is so successful and so beautiful, even if you have to be wary of it.
By the way, I read in Science News in the not-too-distant past that increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide are benefiting poison ivy by encouraging its growth, thus guaranteeing that more of us will become acquainted with it as time goes by!
The information for this article was gleaned from personal experience and observation, numerous books, and countless internet re-sources.
- Debbie Blanton
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