What's Lurking under the Willow Tree?

Is That Hollow a Good Place to Hide?

If one passes by this willow tree and looks at it from the path, one sees this shady space, almost like a little hollow or cave that would make a good hiding place. But you aren't likely to find any lovers there making the most of solitude. Anyone who has any sense will stay away.

Let's take a closer look at what's hidden in the shadow of this tree. I approach it, stepping away from the trail. I use my flash to chase away the shadows. Does it look like a good hiding place now? It this a tree you'd like to climb? Would you like to gather these beautiful shiny autumn leaves? I don't think so. Not if you recognize that lovely patch of poison oak?

And If You Did Not Recognize the Poison Oak in Time or Fell Into It?

Use this. It should offer some relief from the itching and pain.

A Closer Look at the Poison Oak Leaves

The photo above shows how the poison oak looked under the tree without using the flash. It was late afternoon. You will notice that some leaves are changing color, but others are still quite green. Poison oak leaves are arranged in groups of three connected leaflets. They are shiny with urushiol, the oil that causes the rash when it comes in contact with skin. The leaves don't have to touch the skin to cause the rash. Anything touching the skin that has picked up some oil can also do the same damage -- clothing, pet fur, etc.

Below is a photo I took exactly two years earlier than the photo above under that same tree. Here it is easier to see the patterns and colors of the leaves.

It is very important for anyone who hikes in California to be able to recognize poison oak. When I was growing up, we all learned the rhyme you may have heard: "Leaves of three, let it be." That's a good precaution. It's better safe than sorry. And if you touch poison oak and are as sensitive to it as most people are, you will be sorry. Books can tell you how to identify poison oak, but the sketches are often much neater than what you will see in the wild.

 It's true that berries that grow in some of the same places as poison oak does and can resemble it. I've seen them grow right next to each other. Most of the berries have thorns. Poison oak doesn't. They both change color in the fall. If in doubt, don't touch.

Poison Oak Loves to Climb

It climbs fences and shrubs. It especially likes to climb oak trees. Chances are if you are in an unmaintained area and you see a group of oak trees, you will also find poison oak climbing some of them.

Many public parks in Paso Robles that have open spaces don't maintain those open spaces. That's why Larry Moore Park is such a likely place to encounter poison oak right next to trail. I've even seen poison oak in maintained areas. I once encountered it encroaching on a public sidewalk on a busy street next to a hospital in San Luis Obispo.  I sure didn't expect to see it on a busy city sidewalk.

Go enjoy your open spaces, but be careful. Keep your eyes open and stay away from anything than looks like poison oak. If you are walking your dog in such a place, remember if he gets the oil on his fur, and you pet him, you can be just as miserable as if you'd touched the plant itself.

Have you had any experiences with poison oak or poison ivy? Feel free to share them in the comments.

***

Wordless Wednesday: The Next Generation of Milk Thistle

New Life Rises from the Death of the Old Milk Thistles

Milk Thistle Seedheads with Green Jimson Weed in Background, © B. Radisavljevic

Dying Milk Thistle with Flowers Turned to Thistles, © B. Radisavljevic

What's Wrong with This Picture?

 Would you rather remove the can or the poison oak?  © B. Radisavljevic

Like It? Please Pin It.

For more information on these plants, also see these articles:

Milk Thistle and Hemlock: The Prickly and the Poisonous

Oak and Poison Oak in Photos: Can You Tell the Difference?

Beware the Jimson Weed Blooming in the Summer and Fall

****

What I Observed from my Bench at Larry Moore Park

You Can See a Lot of Nature Just Sitting on a Park Bench

Many times we don't really notice what's right in front of us. When I was escaping my roofers' noises this week I found myself on this bench. I'm so blessed I can walk over here, though I didn't on this particular day. This is the bench upon which I sat.

This bench faces west toward the Salinas River, but the riverbed is dry now. On the other side of the river runs some railroad tracks and on the other side of those the 101 Freeway as it goes through Paso Robles. To the left of the bench is the end of the cul-de-sac and a fence dividing public land from the small farm across from it. That land is where I saw the goats after I left this bench to go home.

This Bench Offers a Dose of Wilderness Close to Civilization

One of the first things I saw was an Amtrak train heading south from the Paso Robles Station. It always passes the park, and you can almost set your clock by it if you pay attention. Normally I see it going toward the station, but I was earlier than usual on this day.

You can see beyond the train to the cars on the freeway. It's a divided freeway on this stretch. I was using a zoom lens, so that train and the freeway look much closer than they really are. You'd have to walk about two blocks through the park and across the riverbed and then a bit further to get to those train tracks. When you listen to the video you will hear the traffic, but I believe the train was gone by the time I made the video.

The Salinas River Trail

My bench sits near an entrance to the Salinas River Trail that goes through the park and past it for a couple of miles. If you look to the right of the bench, as I did to take this photo, you will see the trail. Quite often people are walking or biking there. Many people use the trail or the dry riverbed to walk their dogs.

The Video

As I sat on my bench, I made a video by pointing the camera from the right to the left to take in my view. I aimed it up, down, and sideways to take in the height of the tree near me. I narrate to tell you what I'm seeing and doing. I hope you enjoy it.

Still Views from My Bench

Below you see the path that leads to the riverbed, now dry. On the far right is the tree branch you saw in the video that bends all the way to the ground and looks like a little tree by itself. Between that and the path to the river you see a bed of poison oak with a red tinge. The oak is on the left and its branch extends all the way to the ground on the right. The path is steeper than it looks and one has to be careful not to slip -- especially when it's wet after one of our rare rains.

Here's a closer look at that poison oak beside the path to the river.

Here's the other side of the oak on the left side of the path.

Below is the rest of the oak and the rocks near the trail entrance near the road. On the far left you are seeing outside the park onto the private property where I saw the goats yesterday.

This is another perspective of the oak with a zoom and some dried poison hemlock stalks. Have you noticed how much poison lurks near the trails?

Here's a book that will help you identify and deal with poison oak if you happen to touch it. This book has the highest reviews of any I saw, and a great section on identifying these plants.

Below I put the poison oak right next to the oak branch so you can see the leaves clearly. There's part of a willow tree on the far left near the top.

Now You've Shared my Views from the Park Bench

Which did you like best? Did you learn anything from these photos? I feel very fortunate to be able to walk to this park when I need a dose of nature. 

*****

Watch Out For Poison Oak at Larry Moore Park

Poison Oak at Larry Moore Park in Mid-October, © B. Radisavljevic

As I was walking at Larry Moore Park yesterday, I was surprised to see this clump of poison oak in the middle of the park beside the large willow tree.

This is one tree anyone walking the main path that parallels the river can't miss. It's between that path and the sidewalk next to Riverbank Lane.

Large Willow Tree in the Center of Larry Moore Park, © B. Radisavljevic

Large Willow Tree in the Center of Larry Moore Park,

As one approaches the tree, as children might be tempted to do, it is full of  hiding places. I would be surprised if children did not find it an  attractive place to play. Dogs might also find it an attractive target for their activities.

If you click on the photo to enlarge it, in the lower right corner you will see a green clump with a few red and yellow leaves.  That is the same clump of poison oak I showed you in the first photo. There is likely to be more around the tree I did not notice. Poison oak also grows among the trees near the river and has been known  to grow right onto the trail on the north end of the river trail past the shopping centers and on the other side of the Veterans' Memorial Bridge (aka The Niblick Bridge)

Click here for more information on how to identify poison oak in North San Luis Obispo County,  Show it to your children so they can learn to stay out of it.

If your children play in this park or any park where poison oak is abundant, it would be a good idea to have one of these products on hand to treat it, just in case they do come in contact with it. 

Be Very Careful When You See This

Even though it's summer now, winter is coming. If you live in an area or visit areas where poison oak flourishes, take note of this. During summer and autumn, learn to identify poison oak, and make mental notes of where you see it, especially, in those places you frequent. Poison oak may stand alone as a shrub or you may find it climbing trees or other vines. It is easy to identify most of the year, but in winter, when it loses its leaves it will appear as just bare branches and look like the vines climbing this tree. If you click these photos, they will enlarge.





Sometimes poison oak can be confused with other plants. The berry vine you see to your right shares some of poison oak's characteristics. Like poison oak, it has its leaves in groups of three. They also have a reddish tinge in January. Berry vines often grow right along side poison oak in the wild. In fact, these two photos were taken very close to each other on the same day. At first I thought this was poison oak, until I saw the thorns. Poison oak does not have thorns. Berries do.

So when winter comes, and you see bare vines climbing a tree, be very careful. It is probably poison oak, unless it has thorns. Poison oak can make people break out even if it has no identifying leaves. Even forest rangers clearing trails in winter have been fooled. If you see bare vines along the ground in places where poison oak normally grows, such as in oak forests or along the banks of rivers or at the edges of hiking trails, remember you may be seeing poison oak. Leave the vines alone and try not to step on them. The offending oil can cling to shoes and clothing.

If you do come in contact with poison oak or think you might, Amazon has products that can help prevent or treat an outbreak.   You will be able to read the reviews to see which products people have found most effective.

Related articles

• Exploring a Small County Road
• The Poison Hemlock at Larry Moore Park Grew Right through This Bench

The Poison Hemlock at Larry Moore Park Grew Right through This Bench

One thing I have noticed for years is that weed abatement does not happen at Larry Moore Park. Besides the fire hazard this can be, it can also make the park hard to use as intended. This bench is one example of that.

I took this picture on March 26, 2011, a year when there was a lot of rain and the river almost flooded. Hard to believe now when we haven't seen water in the river for two years, but that year it came almost up to the water's edge near the fence you see below.

As I walked to the bench to take the above picture, the poison hemlock and prickly milk thistle were up to my calves and I had be be very careful not to get scratched. It was so high, as you can see, the poison hemlock grew right through the seat of the bench. That bench is not on the ground as it appears to be. Its seat is at normal height for park benches. Who would want to walk over to that bench to sit and look at the river?

This year I walked past the same bench in February, and we had had a bit of rain by then. Fortunately the poison hemlock and thistles had not taken over near the bench yet, and I'm hoping the high grass around the bench will discourage the other weeds from surrounding it.

Unfortunately, in other parts of the park, along the paths, the poison hemlock is growing over my head, though most is only waist high. Closer to the riverbed on the south end of the park, there is poison oak next to the last access path to the river. One has to be careful what one touches there.

I'm not sure if the city just wants to keep the park wild for the sake of maintaining a wilderness area or if they are just not willing to spend maintenance money. Weeds are everywhere but the ball diamond and the paths themselves. Maybe the city just can't afford weed abatement and the hauling away of dead tree branches in the middle of the park as they fall from trees. I suspect the city gets grant funds to build the parks and trails,  but not to maintain them.

Meanwhile those walking through the park just have to be aware of the poison weeds and hope lightning or smokers never set the dead wood by the river ablaze. If the park catches fire some dry season, the nearby residents will need gas masks to protect their lungs from burning poisonous plants.

Poisonous plants are everywhere in the North County. It pays to be able to recognize them and understand what they do. If you want a delightful read on this subject, try Amy Stewart's book below. She is an amazing writer and I've read this book and a couple of her gardening books, as well, and loved them. Wicked Plants is not a field guide, though. That's why I've suggested a highly rated field guide to poisonous plants as a supplement to it. Treat yourself to one or both today. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that having a good set of reference books around when you need them is very helpful.

 Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities The North American Guide to Common Poisonous Plants and Mushrooms

Related articles

• Poison in the Park
• Why I Stopped Hating Coyote Brush