It's important to pay attention to your surroundings when you're out on a hike through the woods. Here in the Midwest there are a lot of different plants that could cause adverse effects to your skin or worse if you're not careful and paying attention. Poison Ivy, Poison Oak and Poison Sumac are common in our central area of the world. Next time your out, be on the watch for these plants, but remember DO NOT TOUCH! ...unless you like to be miserable.

Here's how to identify the following poisonous plants.

• How to identify poison ivy

• How to identify poison oak

• How to identify poison sumac

"Leaves of three, leave them be." This is a good pneumonic device you can use next time you're out to stay a little more safe. Remember, if you don't know what the plant is, then you probably shouldn't touch it.

As always, leave it better than when you arrived. This means leave the forest alone. Avoid picking up a bunch of sticks, branches, logs and upsetting the state of things. You never know, you could be ruining a creatures home or you could get yourself hurt or worse, bitten by something you never intended for in the first place.