Virginia Creeper

What it looks like

Each leaf has five toothed leaflets that spread out from one point like a hand. It climbs with small tendrils that end in sticky pads, runs along the ground as a groundcover, turns bright red in fall, and makes small blue-black berries. Poison ivy has three leaflets, not five.

Often mistaken for: Poison ivy (three leaflets)

When it shows up in the Triangle

It leafs out in spring and grows all summer, with red fall color. The woody vines are there all year.

Where you’ll see it

Woods edges, fences, tree trunks, foundation beds, and the edges of lawns next to wooded areas.

What you can do

• Count the leaflets: five means Virginia creeper, three means treat it as poison ivy
• Pull young runners when the soil is moist so the roots come with them
• Cut climbing vines at the base and let the top die back before pulling it off
• Keep lawn edges mowed so runners do not creep into the turf
• Wear gloves, since the sap can irritate sensitive skin, and do not eat the berries