Courtesy photo A hare itches his face

ESCANABA –The whitetail shakes his fuzzy ears and antlers.The snowshoe hare pokes his body out of the cedar swamp to find the edge of the gravel road. Then he rolls, twists and flops around on the dusty ground.

The bruin, big and black arches his back up against his favorite pine tree. The pitchy branches scratch his back in just the right spot.

Summertime itches in the U.P.!

Wildlife knows all about it. Blackflies, mosquitoes, deerflies, ticks and fleas can get many four-legged creatures uncomfortable in mid-summer.

And they are not alone.

Besides the bugs, some plants can be obnoxious when they come into contact with our skin. Poison ivy, poison oak, wild parsnip and showy lady slipper plants all can cause raPoison ivy is probably the most common of the touch-me-not plants in our area. Poison ivy thrives along lakes, streams and rivers. It’s a pretty plant often with shiny leaves with a reddish tinge. There is an old saying” if the leaves come in threes, just let that plant be”! Poison ivy plants have branches with clusters of three leaves on them.

I ‘ve read that poison ivy is not really an ivy at all but a member of the cashew and mango family. Some people are not allergic to it at all, most folks will develop a minor rash if exposed to the plants oils and some lucky people are extremely allergic to it, like my husband!

Our family camp is near the beautiful Escanaba River. As a kid I played barefoot on the riverside and never reacted to poison ivy until I was an adult. When I was pregnant for the first time I had a minor case of ivy rash on my wrist.

My sister Lori on the other hand, got poison ivy often even as a little kid , even though Mom cautioned her to wear long pIt is interesting to know that people that are sensitive to ivy can get it at any time of the year, even from the dried roots of the plant in wintertime.

Anyone that has ever had a case of poison ivy knows that insane itch and burn of the red rash.

A couple of weeks ago when it was 90 degrees and about 90 percent humidity, David decided to hike a quarter mile upstream and back downstream half in the river and half on the bank with four playful puppies. The pups enjoyed the cool water. They loved rolling in the lush green weeds along the riverside. David was wearing shorts, and the rest is history.

The red welts crept from his legs to his arms. Soon even hiOh, coarse men don’t go to the doctor until their body is 90 percent covered with rash and finally get a prescription to speed up the healing.

So let this column be a warning to be careful out there. Wear shoes and long pants if you’re the sensitive type. Wash a lot a pass the calamine lotion.

It’s the itch season!