Poison ivy is an important food source for a medley of organisms. Larger herbivores such as White-tailed deer, raccoons, and muskrats devour the leaves and stems. The berries provide nutrition for a number of different bird species including the wild turkey, american robin, crows, and eastern bluebird. For a number of smaller organisms, such as the american toad, poison ivy is used as a source of shelter.
Poison ivy has a strong correlation of growing with with a number of specific trees. It will use larger trees for support and grow up them. They have this type of thigmotrophic interaction with the virginia pine, silver maple, willow oak, and american sycamore to name a few. However, it is not only trees poison ivy grows with. They will grow with other vines as well.
Learn about what puts the “poison” in poison ivy and its effects on humans in the humans on the next page.
