Poison ivy is the most common of the three, Brown says, and it grows throughout many parts of the U.S. Poison oak is more often found out West, she says, while poison sumac tends to grow near ...

While we are plagued with many of these look-alikes annually, it seems this season we have even more. Learning how to ...

Dear Heloise: My children are allergic to poison ivy, and last summer, I had three miserable, scratching and crying kids. Frankly, I have no idea what the difference is between poison ivy, sumac ...

DEAR HELOISE: My children are allergic to poison ivy, and last summer, I had three miserable, scratching and crying kids. Frankly, I have no idea what the difference is between poison ivy, sumac ...

If you're heading outdoors this summer, it pays to know the difference between poison ivy, poison oak and other rash-producing plants that will leave you itching and scratching — or worse.

If you've never received a rash from poison oak, ivy or sumac, the rash could last 21 days or longer. If you have had the rash previously, it will last one to 14 days.

DEAR HELOISE: My children are allergic to poison ivy, and last summer, I had three miserable, scratching and crying kids. Frankly, I have no idea what the difference is between ...

A poison ivy rash is caused by urushiol, a highly potent oil found in all parts of a vine-like plant called Toxicodendron radicans (it's also in poison ivy's "cousins", poison oak and poison sumac).

DEAR HELOISE: My children are allergic to poison ivy, and last summer, I had three miserable, scratching and crying kids. Frankly, I have no idea what the difference is between poison ivy, sumac ...

Just thinking about poison ivy can make you itch. Blistering rashes on your arms and ankles, oozing bumps between your fingers and eyelid-swelling exposures are all-too-familiar summer hazards.

Dear Heloise: My children are allergic to poison ivy, and last summer, I had three miserable, scratching and crying kids. Frankly, I have no idea what the difference is between ...