(One of) The "Big Three"

The "Big Three"..this equals bad news. In plant talk..the Big Three being a title given to Poison Ivy, Poison Oak and Poison Sumac. I have been doing a lot of weeding and clearing of under brush from around the trees in hopes of making the area a bit less of a fire hazard during this drought. The other day, I posted about the Poison Ivy that had literally taken over a pine tree..today, I found Poison Sumac. (Sorry, Hubby! The mere mention of Poison Sumac will have him scratching!) Poison Sumac is a small spindly tree that grows in wet areas around here..which pretty much means it grows anywhere it wants. The creek bed is full of the toxic bush as is the marsh..but the one I found today is a rebel! It is growing on the top of the hill, far from the water's edge. A bird must have "planted" a seed sometime within the past year. That said, the sapling is not faring too well. The drought is taking its toll on this plant as well as those in my garden. The only difference is..I refuse to water the Sumac! Granted it, too, will put on quite a show this fall with its brilliant red leaves. Still, I have no desire to keep it in the yard..the creek bed is near enough for these beauties (or beasties) to make their home.

As I said, Hubby is terribly allergic to the Poison Sumac..so this bush will definitely have to go! The Poison Sumac, Poison Ivy and Poison Oak all have the oily sap called urushiol. This is the stuff that causes all of the damage..the allergic contact dermatitis..the itchy, red, oozy rash. The nasty part of finding out a bit too late that you are highly allergic to these plants. Once again, if you think you have brushed against one of these three..wash the affected area immediately in a .....NON OIL-BASED SOAP. ( Oil-based soap will just spread the sap.) Washing is important as body oils will cause the urushiol to spread all over the place and you wind up looking horrible and feeling worse! This oil can be spread onto tools, furniture, clothing, and well, just about everything. Plus..although it is very rare that our pets will be bothered by these plants, they can transport the oils inside and to us when we handle them. It is best to just destroy the offending plants! (Oh yeah..but definitely not by burning! That will just release the urushiol into the air presenting a whole bunch of new problems!)

On to happier things! This morning, I noticed a bright red spot in the tomato garden that was not there yesterday! Could it be? At first, I thought that perhaps a red leaf from the Black Gum Tree might have fallen into the garden, but...there hanging on the plant was the prettiest bright, red tomato! The first of the season! It looked absolutely luscious! How in the world these plants are surviving..even thriving..in the midst of this drought is beyond me. I am not complaining though! I have a beautiful vine-ripe tomato for my lunch tomorrow! Hubby is not here to claim this one and Son does not eat tomatoes..THIS ONE IS MINE...ALL MINE!!!!