The Itch!!

Over the past few months, like many other people, I have been out hiking in the area Forest Preserves and natural sites.  Each time I go out, I try to think about getting properly prepared before heading out the door.  Will I be hiking off the trail through long grass?  Will I need long pants, long sleeves or a hat?  How about deterring mosquitoes?  Are they out now and should I be taking along protection?  Here are some simple precautions to make your hike a great experience.

If you are a steward or wildlife monitor, you may well be hiking off the trail and into areas where the plants are not easy to see, identify, or walk around.  And even if you are just out for a nice hike on the trail, species growing along the edges may be ones that you want to be sure to avoid.  Poison Ivy,Toxicodendron radicans, is one of the best known plants found everywhere in northern Illinois that causes itching, a rash or swelling.  The plant is commonly found in woodlands and savannas, but can also be found in dry meadows or along prairie edges.  It grows as a small shrub or as a woody vine, wrapping around tree trunks and climbing to great heights.  The leaves are distinctive: they grow in groups of three and have smooth edges, often with a thumb on the two side leaves.  Vines growing up trees are thick and hairy, with many small tendrils reaching out to anchor the plant to a trunk or limb.  Every part of the plant contains an oil that may cause a rash or itching when touched.  It is easy to brush a plant and have the oil cling to a shoe or cloth surfaces, which can be a further problem if not washed out.  If you get the oil on your skin or clothes, wash with cool water and soap, or consider using Tecnu Original Outdoor Skin Cleanser, a specialty line of products, to remove the oil.

Wild Parsnip, Pastinaca sativa, a species introduced from Europe and commonly found in prairies, vacant lots, roadsides, woodland edges and along railroad tracks is another plant to watch for and avoid.  The flowers are arrayed in a slightly curved umbel at the end of tall stems, showing bright yellow petals, sometimes mistaken for Golden Alexanders which bloom earlier in spring.  The plant can grow from two to five feet high.  All parts of the plant contain a UV-phototoxic juice that will transfer easily to skin or clothes if the plant is brushed against.  This juice can cause a burn-like rash that is severely multiplied in effect when exposed to direct sunlight.  A burn may also appear on cloudy days from ultraviolet wavelength light present even through cloud cover.  Any exposure should be treated as a possible serious burn, and you should seek medical assistance.

Animals may also cause problems.  Ticks, along with spiders and mites, are members of the class Arachnida.  These animals feed on mammals, birds and reptiles.  Ticks perch on foliage between ground level and about four feet high and wait for an animal to brush against them.  They leave their perches and find a suitable spot to latch onto their host using a hook-like appendage located below their mouth.  After a blood meal, the engorged tick will simply drop off to the ground.  However, they can carry diseases harmful to humans. 

There are four common tick species in our area including the American Dog Tick, sometimes referred to as the wood tick, the Lone Star Tick, the black-legged tick, also known as the deer tick, and the Gulf Coast tick.  Wood ticks are generally harmless to humans; deer ticks may carry Lyme Disease; the Lone Star Tick may carry Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever; and the Gulf Coast Tick, new to this area within the past 18 months, may carry Tidewater Spotted Fever. 

The Eastern Yellow Jacket, Vespula maculifrons, is an insect that comes out in the heat of late summer.  Yellow Jackets are social wasps that live together in one hive. In spring, a single  mated female, called a queen, builds a nest at ground level or possibly in a fallen stump or log.  She will tend the larvae until the first brood of adults, all sterile females, emerge.  The adults take over all nest maintenance while the queen continues to lay eggs.  In autumn, eggs for new queens are laid, as well as unfertilized male eggs.  New queens and males emerge in late autumn, mate and the new queens seek shelter for the winter in litter or soil.  With the arrival of winter, the remaining colony dies. 

All wasps are predatory and keep populations of smaller species, such as mites and aphids, under control in our gardens.  While these insects are predatory, they are also attracted by any sweet odor and can be pests for outdoor dining.  The females can sting and be very aggressive when trying to nab food from your picnic.  If they are threatened, especially if a nest is found and agitated, they will swarm, stinging repeatedly and may give chase for long distances. 

The mosquito, one of our least favorite insects, is best known for the biting females, which must have a blood meal in order to develop eggs.  Males do not bite, but feed on plant juices.  Mosquitos are considered one of the most harmful insects to humans because of the many diseases they may carry.  Also dangerous to canines, mosquitos are the primary cause of heartworm disease.  There are several different species of mosquito found in Illinois, active during a wide range of day and night hours.  Most of the bites in northern Illinois cause an itching sensation that can last for several days; however, they may also be vectors for West Nile Virus.  Best practices to avoid being bitten include wearing light colored clothes, using an insect repellant when outside, and removing any standing water from your yard.  There are several good websites including Illinois EPA for Mosquito Control.