Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: toxin

(please scroll down for 2 more pictures!) It is simply amazing to me that a plant that I hate so much has such an incredibly beautiful, tiny flower! Measuring only about 1/8" in diameter, poison oak blossoms are so small and plain looking that most people don't even know that poison oak has flowers. Steve, in fact, was amazed when I showed him these pictures! It's almost irritating that such a noxious plant should have a lovely flower! :D They are beautiful though, aren't they! Western Poison Oak only grows along the Pacific Coast of North America and can be found from Canada to Baja, California. It produces a toxin called "urushiol" which causes an itchy rash which makes itself known a few hours after contact. This rash will last for up to three weeks depending on how allergic you are and the severity of contact. Most people are allergic, but there are a few who are not affected by this toxin. Also, if there is continued contact with Poison Oak, most people will become sensitized to it. Handy tip!! If you get a rash from poison oak (or any sort of itch, actually!), put the affected area under hot water--as hot as you can stand--for 10-15 seconds. This will burn out the histomines in the area that cause the itching sensation, and it takes hours for your body to rebuild the histomines again. Try this the next time you get a bug bite or rash. You'll be amazed how well it works. I only wish I'd learned this when I was a kid, not a year ago! If you would like to know more about Poison Oak, Wiki has a great source of information here: Poison Oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum)

[best appreciated at full size against black] How can something this pretty be a bad thing?! Just rub these leaves on your skin, wait a few hours, and you'll have your answer! These are brand new Poison Oak leaves, and as they mature, they will turn to a rich, bright green. As spring turns to summer, they will turn a deep green, and then, as fall approaches, they will turn many shades of fiery red and brown, finally falling to the ground to decay into rich fertilizer to feed next year's growth. Even though Poison Oak can be incredibly beautiful, it's horrible stuff! It grows like wildfire into thickets of itchy doom, climbs up trees like vines, and is very difficult to remove because of the creeping rootstocks it grows from which seem to stretch forever from the main plant. It also grows from seeds, and our hillside is simply COVERED with it! I've managed to remove a good amount in our lower forest but it's hard work and it comes back very fast. I HATE THIS STUFF!!! And yet...I do love its beauty. I just don't want it on our property! Western Poison Oak only grows along the Pacific Coast of North America and can be found from Canada to Baja, California. It produces a toxin called "urushiol" which causes an itchy rash which makes itself known a few hours after contact. This rash will last for up to three weeks depending on how allergic you are and the severity of contact. Most people are allergic, but there are a few who are not affected by this toxin. Also, if there is continued contact with Poison Oak, most people will become sensitized to it. Handy tip!! If you get a rash from poison oak (or any sort of itch, actually!), put the affected area under hot water--as hot as you can stand--for 10-15 seconds. This will burn out the histomines in the area that cause the itching sensation, and it takes hours for your body to rebuild the histomines again. Try this the next time you get a bug bite or rash. You'll be amazed how well it works. I only wish I'd learned this when I was a kid, not a year ago! If you would like to know more about Poison Oak, Wiki has a great source of information here: Poison Oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum) This image was taken in April, 2012.

The other day I was up on our ridgeline taking pictures of fall colors and I found this group of drying poison oak berries glowing in the afternoon sun. I would say this is one of my better images! :D I've uploaded three more pictures today--I usually post only two, but I found another view of the Foothill Clover where it's standing up and thought it deserved a view! :) I've also posted some macaw pictures and the 150th Flower of Spring & Summer!! :) Thanks to all of you who have visited and have left comments and favorites! I try to go to all of your pages within a day or two and is a highlight for me to see your beautiful photography! :)

Last week I spent a few hours happily taking pictures of mushrooms in our lower forest. I had to lay on the ground for many of my shots, and noticed that I'd rubbed up against poison oak plants on many occasions. However, I was so excited about my pictures that I completely forgot about the poison oak. That is, until I began itching about 8 hrs later! It's eight days later now and I'm still scratching! :D I managed to get poison oak oil on little spots of both hands, my wrists, all over my stomach and a spot on my jawline! :D The good thing is that my body is used to poison oak, so this rash isn't horrible and it doesn't itch really badly, but the next time I go out to take pictures, I'll be a lot more careful! The rash should be gone in another week for me, though it would be 3 or 4 weeks for people who are really sensitive to poison oak. (Some would be hospitalized by just a little contact!) Fun Facts About Poison Oak Oil (Urushiol Oil) • Only 1 nanogram (billionth of a gram) needed to cause rash (Average is 100 nanograms for most people) • 1/4 ounce of urushiol is all that is needed to cause a rash in every person on earth • 500 people could itch from the amount covering the head of a pin • Specimens of urushiol several centuries old have found to cause dermatitis in sensitive people. • 1 to 5 years is normal for urushiol oil to stay active on any surface including dead plants • Derived from urushi, Japanese name for lacquer If you would like to know more about Poison Oak, Wiki has a great source of information here: Poison Oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum) More information can be found here! Poison Oak Information