Not Poison Ivy For Sure!

Virginia Creeper in Turin, Italy

I knew without getting close that this red vine was NOT poison ivy. How did I know for sure?

Because I took this photo in Turn, Italy, and there is no poision ivy in Italy, nor anywhere in Europe, for that matter.

In her terffiic book, In Praise of Poison Ivy, Anita Sanchez tells how poison ivy was brought back to Europe (like corn, potatoes, and other plants). It was planted as a decorative plant in many places, including the palace at Versailles. However, it never spread across the contintent, as far as I know. There are no reports of it, and I have never seen it in France, England, or Italy.

Interesting that Virginia creeper, which grow alongside poison ivy in America, also grows widely in Europe.

Occasionally I get an email that creeper also causes a rash, but in 20 years I have only gotten that message about 3 times, so clearly creeper is not the menace that poison ivy is.