No Need To Fear This Vine Poison ivy and Virginia creeper can be confused in their brilliant fall colors. The compound leaf of poison ivy has three leaflets while that of Virginia creeper has five. It was the heavy early morning dew that kept Charlotte, our friends Richard and Mary Kordes and me close to the edge of the woods as we searched mainly for mushrooms to enjoy, identify and photograph. We were hiking a few days ago along the edge of a quiet road on the outskirts of the little village of Ahmeek, north of Calumet in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The low angle of bright sunlight was perfect for picture-taking and it was a large patch of Virginia Creeper, blazing gloriously red, that soon captured our attention. Mushrooms could wait. How tenaciously the plants were climbing upon anything the tiny tendrils with their adhesive pads could become fastened to. Some of the plants were strongly trailing along the ground, their leaves only a foot or less above the surface. It was there that the largest leaves occurred, some 15 inches across. One had to look closely to see the small dark purple fruit, a favorite of quite a few species of birds including eastern bluebirds, American robins, common flickers, thrushes and the pileated and red-bellied woodpeckers. White-tailed deer, squirrels and other small mammals also consume the fruit that is considered to be poisonous to humans. Strangely, many forms of wildlife are entirely immune to various toxins contained in wild plants which, if eaten by people, could prove to be fatal. Just like some of the other members of the vine family of plants, including wild grapes, the Virginia Creeper can become very weedy and aggressive in its growth habits. In other words you may wish to use caution in introducing it to your property. Apparently it is in ideal growing conditions, which includes rich moist soil along the edges of woods, that it appears as though every fruit that falls from the vine germinates and grows into yet another plant. I have seen it in various sites where it doesn’t appear to be growing out-of-bounds whatsoever and is a thing of beauty, especially climbing over stone fences or clinging to and decorating stone buildings. The name, Virginia creeper, is based on the French name, "Vigne-Vierge," or the English, Virginia creeper. Some of you may refer to it as woodbine. Another name I’ve come across is red-twig creeper. Its scientific name, "Parthenocissus quinquefolia," (par-thi-no-SIS-us kink-e-FOE-lee-a) means virgin ivy that is five-leaved. One look at its five leaflets per palmately-compound leaf and its species name becomes readily apparent. I am always reminded of the compound leaf of one of my favorite trees, the horse chestnut, which usually has five to seven leaflets. This leaf, like that of the Virginia creeper, is also palmate in its arrangement of leaflets. It was during our camping trip in 1975 to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park that we saw for the first time what we had read about – Virginia creeper and poison ivy growing together on the same tree trunk, some climmbing 30 or more feet upwards. It is not surprising that some people confuse these two vines. An old ditty regarding poison ivy may help you to distinguish one from the other. "Leaflets three, let it be." Yes, poison ivy always has three leaflets per leaf compared to the five on Virginia creeper. I have never seen poison ivy vine upwards more than a few feet in northeastern Wisconsin, but did encounter it growing over 30 to 40 feet high on tree trunks in the southern part of the state. Naturally it does commonly vine upwards in the South. Another confusing aspect of the two plants during the fall season pertains to its vibrant colors. Virginia creeper tends to be a richer red while poison ivy also contains more yellows and oranges as it changes color before losing its foliage before winter sets in. Its attractive foliage, manner of growth and the excellent cover and food it provides wildlife make the Virginia creeper one of the most beautiful and beneficial native vines of eastern United States. Above all, learn to distinguish it from poison ivy and remember that its fruit is highly poisonous to people. Here is a plant that adds rich color to the autumn scene. This column appeared in the Door County Advocate on 10/11/2002. © Copyright 2002 Roy Lukes. All rights reserved.