Kan. The birds are to blame. They love the berries poison ivy produces each June. So, wherever birds go, poison ivy seeds go, too. Sometimes that fact is hard for Chuck Otte to admit.
People simply think they know more than they factually do about the weed.
As an avid bird watcher, Otte wants Kansas to provide ample food for its feathered fliers. Even so, as a K-State Research and Extension agent, Otte often has to identify poison ivy. He has to recommend safe ways of killing it in Geary County landscapes. This uneasy combination has spurred Otte to become a statewide authority on the weed. After several hours of exposure to air, this sap turns black.