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Guide to identifying and avoiding poison ivy on Martha's Vineyard. Recognition tips, treatment options, and safety measures for island trail visitors.
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Poison ivy grows almost everywhere on the island. If you plan to hike in Manuel F. Correllus State Forest, walk to a quiet beach or follow a nature trail, it helps to know what it looks like and how to steer around it.
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Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) is a native North American plant. It contains urushiol, an oily resin that gives about 85% of people an allergic rash (contact dermatitis). The American Skin Association calls it the most common allergic reaction in the U.S.
The old rule, leaves of three, let it be, gets you most of the way, but the plant changes its look a lot, so a few more details help.
The CDC warns against burning poison ivy: breathing the smoke can cause severe respiratory reactions and lung inflammation.
Autumn is when poison ivy is easiest to spot. Its leaflets turn bright orange, red and yellow, according to UMass Extension, so a vine up a tree trunk or a patch along a stone wall can stand out from a long way off. The rash is just as likely as in summer: the American Academy of Dermatology says these plants are poisonous year-round.
Look for the berries too. UMass Extension describes small green berries that turn light gray to white, which birds and other animals eat and spread, and the CDC’s NIOSH page describes them as white to green-yellow or amber. Pale berries on a red-leaved vine are a good clue.
Once the leaves drop, the plant is harder to see and can still give you a rash. The American Academy of Dermatology says touching any part of it, including the roots, can cause one even in winter, and UMass Extension says the oil persists in dormant and dead plants. On trees the vine holds on with aerial roots that make it look like a fuzzy rope. If you gather wood for a fire pit, leave any log with one still wrapped around it, since UMass notes the smoke can carry the oil.
The oil also lasts on things. The AAD says it can stay on surfaces for months or years until it is washed off, and NIOSH puts it at up to five years on objects. Gloves, boot laces, a leash or a dog that ran through bare brush can bring it home, and NIOSH suggests washing exposed clothes separately in hot water with detergent.
Island land trusts keep it in mind on winter walks. When Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation hides glass floats on its trails for the Treasure on the Trails hunt (one round ran in December 2025), it asks seekers to watch out for poison ivy and ticks, and its tick page notes that adult black-legged ticks may look for a host any time winter temperatures are above freezing.
Young poison ivy in the undergrowth. Note the reddish stems and glossy leaflets in groups of three.
It grows along dune paths, trail edges and old stone walls all over the island, so the borders of a beach path are worth a look before you cut through.
Poison ivy does well in the island’s coastal climate and turns up in all six towns: Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury (Vineyard Haven), West Tisbury, Chilmark, and Aquinnah.
Avoiding it in the first place is far easier than treating the rash. What works:
An identification sign breaks down the trifoliate leaf: pointed tips, coarsely toothed margins and those clusters of hard white berries.
According to the CDC’s NIOSH and the Mayo Clinic, if you suspect poison ivy contact:
If you get the rash while you are on the island, treating it early makes it milder and shorter.
Rinse the area with plenty of cool water and soap, and wash gently, since scrubbing can rub the oil into the skin. Done within 10 to 20 minutes of touching the plant, a good wash can sometimes stop the rash altogether, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.
Cool compresses, calamine lotion or an over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream can take the edge off. Try not to scratch, since broken skin can get infected. Island pharmacies stock all of these.
Get checked if the rash is on your face, near your eyes or on your genitals, if it covers a large part of your body, or if blisters ooze pus or you run a fever. Trouble breathing or swallowing, especially after being near burning brush, is a reason to get emergency care right away. Our hospital, urgent care and pharmacy guide lists where to go on the island.
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Yes. It grows in all six towns and thrives in the coastal climate. You will find it along trail edges in the State Forest, at Felix Neck and Cedar Tree Neck, on beach access paths, behind the dunes and along roadsides and fence lines. Staying on marked trails avoids most of it.
Three leaflets per stem, with the middle leaflet on its own short stalk. Edges can be smooth or toothed, the surface shiny or dull, and it grows as a vine, a shrub or ground cover. When in doubt, leaves of three, let it be.
Wash the skin right away with cool water and soap (not hot), and clean any clothing, gear and tools that touched the plant. The sooner you wash, the milder the rash. If it spreads or you are worried, see a doctor.
The oil can ride on fur, which is one more reason for a leash on the trails. If the dog ran through brush, a bath with gloves on takes care of it. For where dogs are welcome on the island, see our dog-friendly guide.
It can be. The oil stays active on dead stems and bare vines, so reactions happen in every season. Long pants and closed shoes still make sense on off-season walks, and brush that might contain it should never be burned.
The leaves turn orange, red and yellow, and the vines often carry small berries that go from green to grayish white. It keeps its three leaflets until they drop, and the rash is the same as in summer.
A long time. The American Academy of Dermatology says months or years until it is washed off, and NIOSH says up to five years on objects. A wash after a walk or yard work takes care of it.
Ticks are the other reason to stay on the path and wear long pants. Our tick safety guide covers how to check yourself and what to watch for after a hike anywhere on the island.
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