INTO THE WILD:

Ivy & Chiggers & Bees —
Oh My!

Every so often, nature’s side-effects may include itching, swelling, or a runny nose. But it’s no big deal — if you know a few tricks.

Compiled by Diana Krug

Restoration volunteers, hikers, and birders venture into local natural areas every weekend, and they regularly come home with smiles, not rashes. Most often, it simply comes down to knowing what’s out there.

Plants to Pass Up

Poison Ivy Going solely by “leaves three, let them be” will have you running from every kind of harmless trillium. But honing the ID for poison ivy is liberating. A short native plant occurring year-round in woods and prairies, poison ivy’s leaves do grow in threes. But the leaf is distinctive, with smoothly toothed (not serrated) edges, often with a “thumb” (see picture). Watch up high, too: it climbs trees using thick, hairy vines. If you touch it, wash with cool water and soap, or neutralize its oil with Tecnu. Wash clothes and shoes — the oil can be persistent.

Wild Parsnip Look for this yellow-flowered invader in prairies, woodland edges, and roadsides. Its flower resembles golden Alexanders, which is shorter and blooms in spring, or a yellow version of Queen Anne’s lace. If the UV-phototoxic juice from its two-to five-foot stalk touches bare skin or sweaty clothes, it can cause a sunburn-like rash and skin discoloration, even on cloudy days. It’s most potent when it blooms in late summer.

Wood Nettle Watch for the stiff, stinging hairs of this broadleafed plant in shady floodplains (see photo). Treat stings with baking soda or calamine lotion.

Beat the Bugs

Chiggers Ever return from grassy, sandy, or marshy areas with legs and arms unexplainably itchy? Chiggers are usually the culprit. They bite most often around the top of socks, backs of the knees, and waistline. Spray a little repellent with DEET on clothing, especially around ankles.

Ticks Perched on foliage from spring to early summer, ticks wait for live bodies to pass by. Wood ticks, which grow to the width of a peppercorn, are typically harmless, but sesame-seed-sized deer ticks can carry Lyme disease. Wear long pants and long sleeves and avoid brushing against grass and shrubs. Check for ticks within 24 hours of a hike, and pull off any you find. Read about deer ticks in DuPage County.

Bees Bees are attracted to sweet scents and bright colors. If you don’t look or smell like food — a flower — they typically mind their own business. If a bee is interested in you, don’t swat — just let it get tired of you.

Wasps and Yellowjackets At the end of the summer, these often congregate at social functions looking for something sweet. Always avoid their nests, some of which can be on the ground. Allergic hikers should bring precautions such as Epi-pens and Benadryl.

Mosquitoes Timing your excursions well (see “Timing Is Everything”), covering your skin, and applying a small amount of repellent (putting more on clothes than skin) can help reduce bites.

Timing is Everything

For many bugs, dusk is suppertime. If you are in a wet area or sand savanna, you may be on the menu of a mosquito banquet. Midday will be hot, but often less buggy. Or go in spring or late fall, on a cool or windy day.

Dress for Adventure

Covering your skin is a very simple way to protect it. Think safari: light colors, sturdy fabrics, long pants and long sleeves, plus sturdy boots or shoes (avoid sandals). If your fashion sense allows it, button and tuck everything.

Itch Happens

No matter what precautions you take, at some point most everyone accidentally blunders into a patch of poison ivy or a buggy patch of wilderness. Accepting this as part of the experience will help you to take any discomfort in stride.