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.
Spent some time out on the Miller Woods trail in the Indiana Dunes National Park this weekend. It was the first 70 degree weekend here, clear skies and no wind. As the above image attests, it is looking like it will be a good year for Lupine in the park. This trail, along with West Beach and Tolleston Dunes, are going to be filled with it in a couple weeks.
This small hillside will soon be almost as blue as the sky behind it.Birdsfoot Violet is starting to pop up. One of my favorite Violets because it always looks like it is sticking its tongue out at you.
Wood Betony is starting to show as well. Along with the Lupine this is one of the early spring treats at the park.
Every year the park service does a controlled burn in this area. I always enjoy watching the fresh green shoots poking out of the ashes.These small interdunal wetlands known as Pannes are where you find an incredible array of wildflowers, insects, mosses, fungi, etc. Water levels are high throughout the park, which bodes well for a vibrant spring. Unfortunately it also portends a nasty mosquito season coming soon. Kinda looks like a popcorn plant to me. Closer to the lake, by the lagoons you see the grasses and reeds beginning to arise. I always stop to take come photographs of these early shoots. They kinda remind me of the leaning tower of piza.Earth Star mushrooms are just look creepy.Natures version of barbed wire. This particular little flesh ripper is encroaching on a very narrow part of the trail which passes along side one of the lagoons. There was no shortage of turtles out sunning themselves on this day.
