How To Identify Poison Ivy Right From Your iPhone
Poison Ivy is one of those North American wild plants that are so synonymous with itching, that it has its own adages...
“Leaves of three… leave them be” (and the same goes for Poison Oak and Poison Sumac).
“Berries white, take flight”
“Hairy vine, no friend of mine”
The funny thing is, that even if you know what to look for…
middle leaflet usually has a noticeably longer stalk
the leaves can have a smooth or toothed edge
the leaves are often reddish in the spring, green in the summer, and brilliant red, orange, or yellow in the fall
stem can be reddish in colour
the first question I hear every time on a camping trip is… “Is THAT poison ivy?”. Thankfully your iPhone has had a handy feature to identify it built-in since iOS 15. Simply snap a photo of the plant you’re unsure of, then open it up in Photos. At the bottom of the screen a new button will appear for you to tap to identify a plant (or even an animal), extremely handy on a camping trip, although the only thing to remember is you currently need cell/internet connectivity for it to work.
It will scan the image and give you its best guess, and so far it’s been top notch in I.D.ing flora and fauna.
