Here is an excellent site for distinguishing PI. I have a lot of box elder which looks like PI when it sprouts. I use this site to refresh my mind. Click on the details to find out the many clues that help you distinguish various plants from PI. Go back to HOME and try out the many great pages. Photos of rashes, detailed explanations of how to tell PI from other plants. I think this is one of the best informational sites on the web. Wish I had one for every plant

Here is a link that might be useful: Is It Poison Ivy?

just to save you time scroll down this page to find an index to good info on new growth

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to young PI photos

Thanks for the link. Some pretty nasty images of rashes too. Yuck. I've never had a reaction to PI and I know it could change at any time. I'll bookmark that site to remind me to protect myself properly.

Problem is that there are no leaves on these little vines at all right now. The website did show the small vines and that looks like what I was snipping. Just don't know if maybe it could have been VA creeper. Does VA creeper have those little roots that grab onto the tree like PI?

I don't known if this is true everywhere, but in my area the Va creeper is generally a lighter color. I'm poor on colors but I'd say that the portion of the vine that is climbing the trees is a tan or golden brown, compared to a dark brown for the poison ivy. The creeper does have some tendrils for clinging to the trees, but nowhere the number that the poison has. The creeper can easily be pulled from the tree trunk while the poison almost needs to be pried loose. However, at this point I don't really try to differentiate the two; the creeper might not give me a rash but it will take over the woods as fast, if not faster, than the poison, so I just cover up well and cut and/or pull up both.

Thanks. Guess I'll just keep snipping. I think without leaves on it, it is just too close to know for sure. I'll keep an eye on it all and maybe once the leaves come out, I'll take notes for next Spring.

Rather than snip them, they will come back, consider putting on a rubber glove covered by a cloth glove dipped in full strength round up and just grab the PI (I would also kill the VC, but that's just me) and give it a little rub of killing agent.

I agree with Dieter on using the "glove of death" method. However, use the Round-Up at the dilution recommended on the label, and only use it when the ambient temperature is between 50 and 80 degrees (+/- 5 degrees)consistently.

This was explained to me: When the temperature drops below 50, or above 80, most plants put their active photosythesizing in slow-motion. Round-Up used full strength kills the leaves immediately, and they drop off, so the poison never has a chance to make it into the roots to kill the plant. The longer the herbicide sits on the leaves, and is being sucked down into the roots, the better. Round-Up is only active for 24 hours after use, so I have been lectured, LOL!

I have a lot of English Ivey. During a long illness I let it go and it is now overgrown with Virginia Creeper. I tried pulling it out by hand but that is impossible. Can I spray it with something that wil kill the Creeper but not harm the Ivey? Thanks. Cecil Jones

There isn't an herbicide selective enough to kill one and not the other

Thanks ahughes798 for the temp lesson on Round-up. Since the temps here in Western Tn are ranging at 89 to 96 degrees right now, do you think if I mix it slightly weaker than recommended, and spray it just before sundown, it will still kill the VC and PI (and anything else that is interfering with my current hydrangea paniculata obsession)?

Also, my DH is insisting that I mix it at 1/4 strength and be patient, as it will be just as effective, but will take longer for the sprayed area to die. Since I am not known for my patience and have things that need to be in the ground yesterday, does anyone have any thoughts on my DH's method? Thanks.

Good grief - it is the English ivy you should want to kill, not the Virgina creeper! English ivy benefits the environment not at all in the United States as it is not native; there are no native critters that benefit from it.

Virginia creeper, on the other hand, is a native vine that is host to the caterpillars of beautiful butterflies (like Pandorus sphinx moth) and provides berries for birds. In addition, the fall color is spectacular!