Superman was the most thrilling comic book hero of my boyhood . “ Look … Up in the sky … It ’s a bird , it ’s a airplane , it ’s Superman ! ” I matte better knowing that good would inhibit evil — eventually .
Now , J.J. Burkman and the “ team of horticulturalists - plow - heroes are fighting an evil baddie named Heart Root and his hostile dance band of praying mantises who are submit over the world . ”
Thecomic stripis Umar Myca ’s brainchild .
The exceptional fall color on poison ivy. Umar Myca photo.
I doubt The Coasters could have imagined a comic strip with toxicant ivy as its centrepiece when they write their hit songPoison Ivyin 1959 . The Coasters cognize something was giving them an itch , but they did n’t have a cue about urushiol , the “ buttery allergen , ” that have the god - awful dermatitis .
Measles make you bumpy
And mumps’ll make you chunky
And chicken pox’ll make you jump and tweet
A common cold’ll fool ya
And whooping cough’ll cool ya
The exceptional fall color on poison ivy. Umar Myca photo.
But poison ivy , Lord’ll make you itch !
J.J. Burkman and his devout posse comitatus are combat Heart Root ’s evildoers . Thegood guysare determined to cease toxicant ivy little terror .
Burkman , the comic - strip leader , describes the environmental menace : “ … the ivy has mutate … invaded our city and the very politico who dismiss my counsel have turned to my team to save them . ”
Umar Myca
Anita Sanchez , on the book cover of her interesting new book , In Praise of Poison Ivy , suggests poison Hedera helix is the “ World ’s Most Hated Plant . ”
Taurus mention scientific evidence that poison Hedera helix is getting worse , or at least growing quicker than before , as a resultant role of increase levels of carbon dioxide .
The exceptional fall colouring material on poison Hedera helix . Umar Myca photo .
Our comic book superhero , J.J. Burkman , call this get threat .
But , instead of happen upon fear , and set poison Hedera helix as the “ World ’s Most Hated Plant , ” it might be more accurate to say poison ivy is one of our least bang plants .
Sanchez notes a few virtues of poison English ivy , including bird nesting and erosion ascendancy , but I challenge anyone to tell me they know a person who is as in dear , or at least as obsessed , with poison ivy , as Umar Myca .
Umar has worked as nurseryman at the Philadelphia Zoo for 44 long time . He moonlight as a Poison Ivy Horticulturist . Google “ Poison Ivy Horticulturist ” and you ’ll find Umar . There are no others who claimthetitle of “ Poison Ivy Horticulturist . ”
I encounter Umar a few long time ago at theMANTStradeshow in Baltimore . He was a spokesperson forZanfel , a company that sells an balm for poisonous substance ivy intervention . Zanfel was developed in accordance with the properties of the flora itself . The discourse removes ururshiol from the skin before or after prisonbreak , furnish straightaway sculptural relief from itching and burning . The Zanfel booth was officious . I heard a Virginia gardener say , “ Stuff [ poison ivy ] exhaust me up . ” A convert to Zanfel ’s “ Poison Ivy , Oak and Sumac Wash ” said , “ You need this when you ’re in terror of poisonous substance . ”
While Umar was busy bring the booth , I speak with Zanfel ’s Customer Service Representative , Dan Boelman , who said , “ I ’m a fan of Umar ’s . “ He ’s great bookman of the industrial plant , and he fills his cognition with ecological and qualitative studies . ”
Umar Myca
In a late email , Umar explained how he first got soak on poisonous substance Hedera helix . “ I learn the poison ivy strain drawing in the Boy Scout manual and compared the drawing to the plants [ I saw while at scout refugee camp ] . I got confused and energized because the drawing looked nothing like the live plants … the details were all off . That nonplus me look to truly identify poison ivy and also rethink my blind faith in books . ”
Do n’t do it what toxicant ivy looks like ? LetUmarshow you .
And , if you ’re looking for toxicant English ivy trivia , Umar is hard to beat up .
Here are a few examples .
Have you ever enquire how many poison English ivy seminal fluid might mature on a four - year - sure-enough plant ? A few years ago Umar count 26,472 seeds . He assure me a 35 - year - old flora could potentially grow 500 pounds of seed . At least 50 specie of migrating and overwintering bird feast on the germ .
Umar is a serious student of poisonous substance ivy . “ Nobody has dug as many poison Hedera helix plants as I have , ” Umar said proudly .
You should keepUmar ’s websitehandy when poison Hedera helix comes cower around .
No one wants to teach others , particularly children , about poison common ivy more than Umar .
you may fulfil Umar and others with the same itch after this month at the 5thannualPoison Ivy Conference .
