For the poison ivy, get a goat
It’s summer and along with all that nature comes poison ivy, that lush green monster with pretty yellow flowers. And just so you can keep calling global warming a myth, poison ivy is one of the plants responding well to the increases in temperature, humidity and the level of carbon dioxide. You can see it spreading along hedgerows and into your back yard.
It’s a misfortune to touch this plant or to touch something that has touched this plant — did you know your pet can pass through a thicket and bring its richness back to you on its fur? This plant is bursting with an oily resin called urushiol. If this penetrates your skin, you’ll almost certainly get blisters and, in due course, a rash.
Only a very few people are immune. For light exposure — you realized the danger immediately and washed the affected area of skin with warm water and plain soap or a solvent like rubbing alcohol — an over-the-counter topical steroid cream will usually be sufficient. For more serious exposure, you’re going to need the cream plus Prednisone.
Two final thoughts on removing a patch of poison ivy from your yard. Lay in a supply of Prednisone and, wearing gloves, cut the vine and throw it on a bonfire. But watch out. Heat and smoke can lift urushiol particles into the atmosphere so don’t stand down wind of the fire. And if all else has failed, get a goat. Goats love to eat poison ivy.
