KINGSTON, R.I. – Aug. 18, 2026 – Michelle Peach has a lot of personal and professional experience spending time outdoors, navigating diverse landscapes in and around Rhode Island. A clinical associate professor in the University of Rhode Island’s Department of Natural Resources Science, her work in the Ocean State brings the Wakefield resident into a range of local settings, from the woods to coastal communities. She also recently completed a 50-hikes-in-a-year challenge and spent an extra lot of time exploring natural areas in Rhode Island in that time.
As the coordinator of URI’s Master of Environmental Science and Management program, Peach works with graduate students gaining and applying their professional skills to solve contemporary environmental challenges.
With so much work outdoors, both professionally and personally, Peach shares some tips to contend with one challenge the outdoors can present throughout the year.
Whether outdoors in summer, hiking in fall, or working in one’s yard in the spring, Peach’s top tips to avoiding poison ivy when outdoors are: stay on trails when hiking; know how to identify poison ivy so you can avoid it; and wear long pants and close-toed shoes when needed.
“Poison ivy can be challenging to identify because it grows in different forms,” she said. “It’s most commonly seen as a vine going up a tree or as a low-growing plant under trees.” She recommends remembering a couple of helpful phrases that help with poison ivy identification including “leaves of three, let it be” and “don’t be a dope and touch a hairy rope.”
Poison ivy leaves are composed of three leaflets, so it looks like the leaves grow in clusters of three, said Peach. Not everything with clusters of three leaves is poison ivy, she said, but if people avoid them all, they will be safe.
She said it’s best to avoid any vine that is covered in what looks like a lot of dense hairs. Those are actually aerial roots, but they can be just as toxic as every other part of the plant.
Importantly, poison ivy and other plants in the “poison” family should not be burned as that can cause a reaction to those nearby — even without touching it.
Rash response
If you do touch poison ivy (or something you think may have been poison ivy), the best response is to wash the area as soon as possible with cool, soapy water. Any clothes that come in contact with poison ivy should be carefully removed and washed. The oils can be transferred from clothing to skin, so be careful not to touch any part of the fabric that may have come in contact with the ivy. These rules also apply for contact with poison sumac or oak, as well as animals coming into contact with any of these plants.
Pets should be bathed if they touch poisonous plants; wear gloves when you wash them. Pets will not get a rash, but if they get the oil on them, their humans could get a rash from touching their fur.
If you do get poison ivy, Dr. Christopher Nasin, medical director in URI Health Services, recommends applying calamine lotion to the rash to help with itching or adding oatmeal to a cool or lukewarm bath. Avoid using antihistamine creams and numbing or antibiotic ointments; these could cause a reaction that makes your skin more itchy or irritated. Rashes should improve in two to three weeks; call a doctor if needed after that time.
With poison ivy being so common in our region, the website for the URI campus’ North Woods also offers information on identifying the plant and its benefits to wildlife.
Unsure about possible poison ivy in your yard? To learn more about allergy-causing plants and how to identify them, send a photo to the URI Cooperative Extension Gardening and Environmental Hotline at gardener@uri.edu. Visit the URI Cooperative Extension website to get on the email list for upcoming URI programs or follow URI Cooperative Extension and the College of the Environment and Life Sciences on social media (@uricoopext / @uri_cels).