Distinguishing poison ivy from its look-alikes

Distinguishing poison ivy from its look-alikes

By Mary Ferguson Many of us have had an unpleasant encounter with poison ivy at one time or another. It’s helpful to know what it looks like, not only so that we can avoid it but also so that we’re not unnecessarily concerned about plants that resemble poison ivy but do not pose a threat to most people. Poison ivy, which is native to the eastern US, has compound leaves with three leaflets. While the leaflet margins are often toothed, they can al…