Know your poisons

Had I seen this plant underneath my techny arborvitae by the corner of my garage earlier this spring, I would have tried yanking it out with my bare hands. 

That would have been a bad thing. The only reason I didn't is because I saw a new sign at our local park warning park users of poison ivy plants (the sign is planted right in the middle of many square feet of poison ivy plants right there 8 " from a heavily used path). Since I never really knew what poison ivy looked like (I'm not a boy so I was never in boy scouts to learn this kind of useful information. If I were a leader of young ladies, I would plan boy scout type activities. I like the merit badge system of learning and the real world topics), I stopped to take a look and find out. Huh, I said to myself, that is what poison ivy looks like. Unremarkable and kind of bland. I kinda wanted to touch it but so far I have managed to leave it alone.

And not many weeks later, I spotted poison ivy plants in my yard. I was saved the itchiness and blisters, thanks to the sign in the park.

And it's not just one little plant under the arborvitae; there are more under the lilacs and I'm quite peeved. Who put them there? Poison ivy does NOT belong in suburban yards!

I'll have to plan my attack for later in the year when I can wear long sleeves and gloves without being too hot. I will get rid of this nuisance, just like I have been slowly eradicating the creeping charlie from the spot it has claimed in my grass (an all summer long project, and one that will probably be a life-long battle, as long as we live in the house).