Summer Safety on the Trails

July 23, 2025

By: Erin Parker, Interpretive Services Supervisor

Summer’s seasonal joys are many in the Metroparks: fishing, golfing, swimming, hiking, paddling, biking, and just finding a beautiful spot to enjoy. But summer brings some challenges, too. Staying safe means recognizing some of Michigan’s less pleasant inhabitants and how to minimize your exposure.

Problematic Plants

You’ve probably heard the phrase “Leaves of three, let it be” when learning about poison ivy. This plant, found as a vine growing on trees and a shorter ground cover throughout Michigan, has a robust defense against anything that wants to eat it. Unfortunately for humans, the same oil can cause an allergic reaction even when something accidentally brushes up against it! All parts of the plant- leaves, roots, stems, fruit- contain an oil that can cause a variety of allergic reaction symptoms. Learning to recognize the plant can be helpful while exploring the Metroparks or your own backyard.

Poison ivy leaves do come in bunches of three. Typically, the central leaf has two “thumbs” or lobes on either side of the leaf. The two out leaves have 1 “thumb” or lobe. Otherwise, the leaves have smooth edges and are lightly glossy. They appear reddish in the spring when the leaves are emerging and turn red in autumn. Even in the winter months, humans should recognize the hairy stems of poison ivy because the cold doesn’t stop the oils from impacting unsuspecting hikers and gardeners that manage to touch it.

Poison ivy does play a role in our ecosystems, despite all of its defenses! Many animals can eat the leaves and don’t react to the oil. White-tailed deer and rabbits eat poison ivy, seemingly without harm. In the fall, the plant produces berries that a variety of birds and mammals eat.

A less-known plant that grows through the Metroparks and southeast Michigan has a different defense mechanism for anyone wandering the woods. Stinging nettle is covered with tiny hairs that break off and deliver a sharp sting from the chemicals inside. Again, the plant is trying to keep from being eaten! Many organisms have adapted to take advantage of these pricky protections. For example, red admiral butterfly caterpillars feed on the leaves and roll the edges over and sew them together with silk thread- essentially making themselves a sleeping bag with spines to keep them safe!

Like poison ivy, nettle can provide food and shelter for a variety of wildlife.

Arachnid Alerts

What group of organisms has 8 legs and a reputation for secrecy? It the tick, of course, a spider-relative and summertime-trouble-maker. Michigan is home to 20 species of ticks, though many of those are uninterested in human hosts for their blood meal. There are five that will happily feed on humans, though, and some of these can cause problems.

Ticks are good at their jobs and our warming winters have helped them thrive. They wait for a tasty, warm-blooded meal to walk by where they rest on leaves, tall grass, or shrubs. After hitching a ride, they look for a good hiding space where they can bite their host and start feeding.  Any day that is above 40 F is a day that a tick can be active. Doing a thorough “tick check” of all of your clothes and hair after coming in from your outdoor adventures can really help prevent ticks, along with taking a shower and tossing any clothes that might have ticks into a hot dryer.

Luckily, ticks are consumed by a variety of birds, reptiles, mammals, and amphibians.

Secretive Snakes

Michigan and the Metroparks are home to only one species of venomous snake, the Eastern Massasauga. This shy snake is classified as threatened because of both its unique habitat needs and the overall reduction in that habitat outside of parks and preserves. Massasaugas utilize wetlands for their winter hibernacula. Park visitors are lucky to see a massasauga as the snakes’ strategy for not getting eaten by something is to hold really still and hope nothing notices it!

The only threat to people from massasaugas (and any other snake!) is being bitten and the best way to not get bitten is to not pick up, touch, or otherwise interact with any snakes. Photographing and observing them from a safe distance is best for the snake and the human.

Stay Safe this Summer

There are many things we can do to stay safe on our summer outdoor adventures. Staying on trails is a big one. This reduces the chance that you’ll encounter poison ivy, stinging nettles, or ticks. Snakes could be resting on the path as cold-blooded creatures love to soak up the summer sun, but this makes it easier for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts to see and avoid them.

Even the most challenging plants and animals in our southeast Michigan habitats belong here and by learning how to recognize and avoid them, we can all get more enjoyment out of the outdoors!