I do, I like Poison Ivy. It really is an attractive plant, just don’t come into contact with it. When I see scenes like the one pictured above which shows Lupine and Poison Ivy plants right next to each other, I think to myself “Beauty and the Beast”. The beauty of the Lupine contrasts so well with the Beast that is Poison Ivy, or is it the Lupine which is the Beast and the Poison Ivy which represents Beauty???
For better or worse, Poison Ivy is prevalent along the trails in the Indiana Dunes. Two of my favorite trails, Long Lake and Miller Woods, are absolutely packed with it. I always wear calf high socks with my pants bottoms tucked into them for tic prevention, but doing so really helps prevent getting an itchy rash. Much of the year you cannot walk some of these trails without brushing up against it, there is that much of it. But it is not difficult to avoid once you know what to look for. In over 160 hikes in the Dunes I have yet to pick up a rash. I do enjoy photographing it just as much as any other plant in the park.
In the spring the leaves range in color from vibrant green, to green tinged with red, to a lovely crimson color. The oils on the leaves give them a nice sheen that I really like. Did you know that Poison Ivy bears fruit? Yep, little grape like clusters of berries. I don’t recommend picking them however.In the fall the leaves become very colorful as they begin to decay. They also lose much of their oily sheen and take on a drier more pastel like appearance.This image shows just how densely packed Poison Ivy can be along some of the trails in the park. This is a very typical sight along the Long Lake trail where it runs along the base of one of the dune ridges. There are well over 100 Poison Ivy plants packed into this small area which runs right up against the trail.Another example of a dense patch of Poison Ivy along the Long Lake trail. The vivid blues and purples of the Lupine plants can easily distract you from the fact that there are again, well over 100 Poison Ivy plants packed into this small area right at the edge of the trail. Nature is beautiful, but demands respect lest you end up taking home a nasty rash.
Every spring I look forward to the arrival of the Lupine. They are one of many special treats to be found among the sandy dunes of the IDNP. They are especially prevalent along the western trails in the park, notably the Miller Woods, Long Lake and Tolleston Dunes trails. On a recent visit to the Long Lake trail it took me four hours to cover less than 1.5 miles of trail because I spent so much time taking photographs. The full trail system here is about 4 miles, but when I arrived I knew I was only going to cover about half a mile or so due to the incredible display along the short stretch highlighted in yellow.
These photo galleries show just a few of the images I took that day. But photographs cannot fully capture the intense beauty of this annual event. I highly recommend getting out to the Indiana Dunes in May to see and experience the Lupine first hand. You won’t be dissapointed.
As always, just click on any image to see it full size.
