I was up in my fir tree pruning it in West Vancouver. A day later a bad rash appeared in various locations on the surface of my skin. There is a huge amount of ivy winding up the tree but I don't know if it is poison ivy or not. It's been three days and this rash is driving me crazy. Can someone tell me if the source of it is likely the fir tree or the ivy. Thank you.
Thank you for your replies. The hydrocortisone hasn't been much help actually. I've taken pics of the ivy just now so I'll upload after they've been developed.
...while you're waiting for the photos to be developed, perhaps you could identify the vine by googling images of poison ivy. I found this one.... Does your vine look like this? The BC Health Guide, in addition to the nonprescription hydrocortisone cream, has some tips.
Well... I'm not quite sure if it looks like that. My gardening skills are next to nil. All green stuff looks almost the same to me unfortunately. I forgot that I had purchased a digital camera so here are 2 images of the offending vine. And thank you so much for replying.
That's an ivy (Hedera), probably Atlantic Ivy Hedera hibernica. An invasive weed in your area; not normally something that will cause a rash, but it is somewhat poisonous and I have heard of the sap being able to cause a rash on people who are sensitive to it.
Oh, thank you so much, Michael. Now I know what I'm dealing with. I have very sensitive skin and lots of allergies, mostly to various green stuff and moulds. I really appreciate your reply. I still have a bit of a rash from it but now I know what it is. Thanks again!
