The weather is getting warmer, kids are playing outside, and, to paraphrase a line from The Coasters, Poison Ivy may be a-creepin’ around.

If you’re new to the area (and, welcome, if you are), please know that the possibility of encountering Poison Ivy on hiking trails or in the woods near your yard is high.

This three-leafed plant can cause a rash with symptoms that include, according to the Mayo Clinic, redness, itching, swelling, blisters, and difficulty breathing (if you’ve inhaled the smoke from burning poison ivy).

The North Carolina Cooperative Extension has written several posts about Poison Ivy and even produced a video (see it below) to help you identify the plant.

From the Extension’s post last year: “Everyone has heard the saying “Leaves of three, let it be”. That saying is a good first step to identifying poison ivy because its leaf is made up of three leaflets. Poison ivy leaflets are two to four inches long with pointed tips. The leaves can be dull or glossy. Of the three leaflets, the middle one is generally larger than the two outside leaflets. The leaf margins or edges tend to be variable in that they can be toothed, lobed, or smooth. Poison ivy is often confused with Virginia creeper vine.

“The easiest way to tell the difference between poison ivy and Virginia creeper is the number of leaflets. Poison ivy has three and Virginia creeper has five leaflets. Poison ivy can be shrub-like or vine-like. Poison ivy typically grows like a vine when trees or other objects are available to provide support for the vine. The vine has aerial roots on the stems that give it a “fuzzy rope” appearance. In the fall, poison ivy leaves turn an attractive red or reddish yellow color and produce clusters of waxy, berry-like fruit.”

Read more here.