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“The Perils of the Palisades”
June 1998
Toxicodendron
radicans
(poison ivy)
July 1998
Ixodes
dammini
(deer tick)
August 1998
Agkistrodon contortrix
(copperhead snake)
“Perils
of the Palisades”
Part I:
Toxicodendron radicans

Someone long ago pointed out that
the “P. I.” in P. I.
P. might just as well stand for “poison ivy” as
“Palisades Interstate,” especially here in the NJ Section. Our open light spaces
and dry soils happen to provide brilliant habitat for this tenacious, sun-loving member of
the cashew family (of all things!). It adores us, though the feeling is rarely
reciprocatedat least among humans.
Already by April the first new shoots are
well on their way, the young leaves more red than green and very shiny from the secreted
oil that can produce such severe reactions, including excruciating itch and a blistering
rash. (Reactions vary widely from person to person, and can change over a lifetime: one
unaffected as a child can nonetheless develop an acute adult reaction.) By summer, parts
of the park have become veritable poison ivy jungles, the plant growing as ground
creepers, tall stalks, vines, even tree-like shrubs. In all cases, it displays clusters of
three serrated leaves (leaves of threeleave me be), though now more green than red, and
less shiny. By September, blessedly, its leaves turn brightest red and then die back. (But
beware! Even in winter, its stalks and vines still retain the oil. The vineswhich
range from wire thin to elephant-trunk thickare covered with distinctive small
“hairs.”)
A persistent myth says you can
“get
poison ivy” from “the air” around the plant, but the reality is you need
physical contact with itor something else that has touched it.* So your best defense
is to keep to the trailsour trail crew does
its best to clear themand to wear
long-sleeved clothing, keeping in mind that the oil may be on them when you undress,
including on your shoelaces. (Keep in mind, too, that a common way to come in contact with
the oil is from Fidos fur after an outing.)
Your favorite outdoors merchant can guide
you to a number of state-of-the-art products now available, from soaps that break down
poison ivy oil, to protective lotions you apply before you go out. And we hope you will
take what consolation you may by remembering that the plant provides fine cover for much of our
wildlife, including the birds who fill our woods with songand who find the
ivory-colored berries of Toxicodendron radicans simply delectable.
*This too is subject to some debate among
expertsexcept for those “experts” among us to whom its
happened
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“Perils
of the Palisades”
Part II: Ixodes dammini
Like many outdoor enthusiasts, we’ve
become only too aware of Lyme Disease in recent years, having personally known
several people who’ve contracted the ailment (in all cases, thankfully, they
received successful treatment—a regimen of antibiotics—before it progressed too
far). Even so, we felt our knowledge of the diminutive beast that spreads this
bacterial infection was wanting. Just who is Ixodes dammini?
The “deer tick” has a two-year
life cycle, during which it passes through four stages: egg, larva, nymph, and adult. Eggs
are deposited in the spring, and the larvae emerge about a month later, barely larger than
a pinhead and tan in color. They feed but once at this stage, in late summer. A favored
host is the white-footed mousewho happens to be a relatively common carrier of the
Lyme bacteria. The tick can, unfortunately, retain the bacteria in its system throughout
its other life stages, when it will feed on other hosts, possibly spreading the bacteria
as it does so.
An estimated 25 –
50
percent of New Jersey’s deer ticks are
so infected.
The larvae remain dormant over the cooler
months, and the following spring emerge as nymphs, now about the size of poppy seeds. They
feed from May through August, mostly on larger animals, including birds, raccoons,
opossum, squirrels, cats, dogsand humans. Come fall, they make the final transition
to adult, feeding primarily from September to November and again in March and April (at
temperatures above 35°F, they can remain active even in winter). Come spring, they
deposit their eggs and die, and the cycle begins anew.
The deer is the preferred host of the
adult Ixodes dammini, though it will settle for other large mammals. The adult is
the size of a sesame seed, the males black, the females having a red abdomen and a black
“shield” near the head.
Because of the rhythm of its lifecycle,
spring and fall are the most common times to get bit by a deer tick, when nymphs and
adults are most likely to feed. The tick tends to “hunt” from the edges of
trails and picnic areas, waiting for its host in tall grass or on shrubs. It cannot
fly or hop, so must have its host brush against it, at which point it simply hitches on.
It will then move about for an hour or more as it seeks a good place to draw blood. It is
believed that the tick must then feed from 12 to
48 hours before it transmits the
diseaseand this may offer our best window for safety. Always inspect yourself
carefully after spending time in the woods, especially in warm, hidden body areas,
such as armpit, scalp, and groin. (The recommendation that you wear light colored clothing is made
simply because it makes a tick easier to spotit does not “repel” it.) If a
tick has already latched on, the preferred procedure is to use tweezers gently
to apply
pressure on its “neck” until it lets go. Treat the bite area with antiseptic and
save the tick for your doctor. (It is now believed that applying Vaseline or burning the
tick can in fact cause it to disgorge its stomach contentsincluding, perhaps, Lyme
bacteria.) If in doubt, always consult your physicianearly diagnosis is key to
effective treatment.
Long-sleeved clothing, pant
legs tucked into socks, and use of insect repellents with the ingredient DEET are all
effective tick prevention measuresand, best of all, scientists believe we are now
closing in on a vaccine. In the meantime, Ixodes dammini will go on reminding us to
take extra careful notice of the little things as we set out to explore the
natural world.
Update:
Read the most current information about Lyme Disease from the Centers for
Disease Control & Prevention (CDC).
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“Perils
of the Palisades”
Part
III:
Agkistrodon contortrix

As far as we know, the copperhead is
the only poisonous snake now found in the NJ Section of the Palisades
Interstate Park, though we get
occasionalunconfirmedreports of rattlers (theyre relatively common in
the New York sections of the park, and historically were here in
New Jersey, as well). The good news is that our
staffand some go back quite a wayscan remember only very few cases of visitors
getting bit by copperheads.
One reason is that the snake is extremely
retiring by nature. It will normally flee at the approach of humans, or hold very still
and attempt to rely on its camouflage, rather than bite. Its diet consists mainly of small
mammals and frogs, though it will also feed on birds, insects, even other snakes. On those
rare cases when humans do get bit, its usually the result of accidentally stepping
on or touching one (never reach where you cannot see). The bite is rarely fatal, though it
does demand prompt medical attention. As with the venom of many poisonous animals, it not
only kills its prey, but it begins the process of breaking down the tissues preliminary to
digestion.
The copperhead is a particularly
attractive snake (we know that sounds to some like an oxymoron), about a yard long, with
brown and reddish bands. Its head is un-banded and, as you might guess, copper-colored.
This provides the clearest distinction between it and the non-poisonous milk snake, with
which it is often confused: the milk snakes bands continue onto its head; otherwise,
they are almost identical.
We do need to mention,
however, that it is not so unusual for
dogs to get bit by copperheads.
One in particular, three or four years back, comes to mind. Unfortunately, this dog ran
and hid after it got bit, and it took the combined efforts of the owner and several staff
members, over a good hour or so, to find it. It was a robust, nice looking dog, and the
owner was understandably distraught. The bitten leg had swollen to several times its
normal size, and the dog was clearly in pain. Once off the trailswith still more
time lostthe owner got him to an animal hospital for treatment. One of our staff
called the hospital that evening, only to learn that the dog would definitely live, but
that there was a very good chance the leg would be amputated.
Just because we do care about animals,
both domestic and wild (the dog was undoubtedly harassing the snake when he got bit), we
cant help feeling a bit taken back that visitors sometimes
bristle when we ask them
please to keep their pets leashed while on our trails. This park
is, after all, a refuge for native wildlife. And some of that wildlife bites
back.
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Links to pages outside the njpalisades.org domain
are provided when we think such pages will be of interest to visitors and
friends of the NJ Section of the Palisades Interstate Park. We cannot verify the
accuracy of information or be responsible for the quality of content displayed
on pages with URLs outside the njpalisades.org domain.
Copyright
© 1998
Palisades Interstate Park Commission

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