Virginia creeper leaves display red and gold and can be confused with poison ivy.

As the holiday season comes into the home stretch and with a frosty morning last weekend, the two dominant local native vines are displaying holiday colors. Some, but not all, have changed from green to red.
Both creeper and poison ivy can be a bright cherry red during the waning days of autumn and early winter. With the seasonal change, it may be difficult to tell the two species apart.
Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) and Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) both grow in the protected areas under the canopy of trees. Only poison ivy produce urushiol, a plant oil which will cause a severe skin rash when any part of the plant is hit. Click here for more…

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