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Question for all you foragers. PICS ADDED POST 13 - HELP IDENTIFYING YARROW?

R

RampantRabbits

Mama Doe
Ive managed to fill a carrier bag whilst out walking the dogs, ive got dandelions, bramble leaves, which i can easily identify.

I also picked some sticky weed, im sure ive seen that in rabbit safe food, but i cant remember what the real name is. Ive fed the buns a weeny bit each, but dont want to feed them anymore until im 100% sure. It is safe, isnt it? :?

Whilst on my travels ive also spotted what i think is sow thistle and yarrow. The sow thistle is a thistle :lol: but with yellow flowers, and the yarrow is stalky with little white flowers making the head. Am I right? Im going to go back tomorrow with some gloves, and ill take some pictures, just incase.

In the meantime, is what ive already picked safe? and when drying it out, do you wash it all and drain the water before laying it in the box to dry?

Sorry for all the questions, im a first timer :oops: ... and sorry for such a long post! :roll:
 
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Stickyweed is safe and its official name is Galium aparine :)

Your description of Yarrow sounds correct, I've not seen sow thistles though. Try doing a google image search for each to compare with what you've seen.

I'm very slack and don't wash mine :oops: but it comes from an exceptionally clean area. if you've gathered yours from a public park or similar it might be wise to give it a rinse before drying :)
 
Appears to be two types of sow thistle - smooth and prickly - both safe but buns find the smooth far more palatable for obvious reasons :wave:

ETA make sure with the Yarrow that you have exactly the right plant - many white flowering plants resemble each other a lot such as cow parsely and hemlock - the latter being highly poisonous!
 
clutterydrawer said:
Stickyweed is safe and its official name is Galium aparine :)

Your description of Yarrow sounds correct, I've not seen sow thistles though. Try doing a google image search for each to compare with what you've seen.

I'm very slack and don't wash mine :oops: but it comes from an exceptionally clean area. if you've gathered yours from a public park or similar it might be wise to give it a rinse before drying :)
Click to expand...

Thank you Lily and clutterydrawer :)

Sounds like a posh name for a weed! ;) ... i hate hte feel of it, i picked it with my jumper and looked like a right wolly trying to get it off my jumper and into the bag! :roll:
 
i'm in total agreement that most fernlike plants can easily get mistaken for nasties
looking forward to pics :D
what you've picked so far is safe and will be appreciated i'm sure.
i always wash before drying (bird poop/wild animal foul etc) and also wash before feeding for the same reasons plus a little extra hydration especially in the recent hot weather we've had
 
prettylupin said:
Appears to be two types of sow thistle - smooth and prickly - both safe but buns find the smooth far more palatable for obvious reasons :wave:

ETA make sure with the Yarrow that you have exactly the right plant - many white flowering plants resemble each other a lot such as cow parsely and hemlock - the latter being highly poisonous!
Click to expand...

Ill post pictures when ive picked it tomorrow. :wave:
 
rabbitnutrition said:
i'm in total agreement that most fernlike plants can easily get mistaken for nasties
looking forward to pics :D
what you've picked so far is safe and will be appreciated i'm sure.
i always wash before drying (bird poop/wild animal foul etc) and also wash before feeding for the same reasons plus a little extra hydration especially in the recent hot weather we've had
Click to expand...

Ahh thanks for commenting :) youve reminded me to ask about something. On rabbit nutrition it says that aloe vera plants are safe for bunnies, but on annother website it says they are toxic :?
 
i know of no toxicity?
the reason i set up the safe list in the 1st place was simply because i've seen so many so-called "safe lists" listing toxic plants as edible!
it is best fed in moderation as it has a laxative effect but you would have to feed a heck of a lot for that to happen
as for being toxic - no it's edible
 
rabbitnutrition said:
i know of no toxicity?
the reason i set up the safe list in the 1st place was simply because i've seen so many so-called "safe lists" listing toxic plants as edible!
it is best fed in moderation as it has a laxative effect but you would have to feed a heck of a lot for that to happen
as for being toxic - no it's edible
Click to expand...

Thanks :)

...I know about the laxative effect :oops:
 
Is This Yarrow, And Is It Safe?

Ok, ive been out again today to pick some more bramble leaves and also get some of what i think it yarrow. Everything ive picked so far has been washed and is drying out in the shed, apart from the "yarrow". I havent fed any of this to them yet because im not 100% sure about it. Here are some pictures, it would be great if anyone could tell me if im right or if its edible. rabitnutrition said theres a wild flower that looks similar but is toxic! :shock:

The plant as a whole:

GEDC0547.jpg



Its stem and leaves:

GEDC0544.jpg



the flowers:

GEDC0549.jpg


I picked these from the edge of the woods amongst the grass and nettles, theres also some more growing by the caravan site on the grass verges.

And heres the rest of what i collected last night and this afternoon :) The dandelions are at the bottom, but you can see the sticky weed and the bramble leaves :) Its good fun! :oops: I missed out on bramble picking when i was little ;)

GEDC0552.jpg


ETA: Id also like to know how to tell the difference between yarrow and the toxic plant, that looks similar.
 
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Nope, not yarrow. Yours looks like cow parsley or one of the other similar plants (there are loads that all look alike, I can't tell the difference)

Yarrow is completely different, looks like this:

http://www.torak.info/mediawiki/index.php?title=Yarrow

http://www.gardensablaze.com/YarrowWhite1.jpg

http://www.indiansunburn.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/yarrow1.jpg

you may also find the leaves in your lawn :) They won't get to be full plants because they get mown off. Handy for rabbit-feeding purposes though.
 
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RampantRabbits said:
Ok, ive been out again today to pick some more bramble leaves and also get some of what i think it yarrow. Everything ive picked so far has been washed and is drying out in the shed, apart from the "yarrow". I havent fed any of this to them yet because im not 100% sure about it. Here are some pictures, it would be great if anyone could tell me if im right or if its edible. rabitnutrition said theres a wild flower that looks similar but is toxic! :shock:

The plant as a whole:

GEDC0547.jpg



Its stem and leaves:

GEDC0544.jpg



the flowers:

GEDC0549.jpg


I picked these from the edge of the woods amongst the grass and nettles, theres also some more growing by the caravan site on the grass verges.

And heres the rest of what i collected last night and this afternoon :) The dandelions are at the bottom, but you can see the sticky weed and the bramble leaves :) Its good fun! :oops: I missed out on bramble picking when i was little ;)

GEDC0552.jpg


ETA: Id also like to know how to tell the difference between yarrow and the toxic plant, that looks similar.
Click to expand...

I can't remember the name of this but I know it's safe as I used to pick it for Riley and he loved it. :love:
 
It's in the umbelliferae family, so if you have the energy, you can ID it here (I don't!)

http://www.spookspring.com/Umbels/index.html

Or maybe someone who knows will come along :) I never bother with them mysefl cos they all look exactly the same to me :oops::oops: But are so diverse in their properties....there's things like carrots, parlsey and parsnips, which are edible, but then there's giant hogweed, which although related will case a photosensitive skin reaction covering you in blisters. :) Lovely!
 
What a lovely forage. Looks exactly what I have in my front drive but I wouldn't risk it as I can't be sure what it is.
 
I haven't seen yarrow. Seen plenty of cow parsley, initially thought that was yarrow but then realised it wasn't.
 
Schuette said:
I haven't seen yarrow. Seen plenty of cow parsley, initially thought that was yarrow but then realised it wasn't.
Click to expand...

I can tell the difference now, the leaves give it away i think, Yarrow looks like it has more leaves which are larger and less spread out. Thats the only way i can really describe it, but i havent seen any around here.

It could well be cow parsley, but ive thrown it out anyway, just incase. I dont want to risk getting anything confused and feeding the buns something thats poisonous!

Its good fun though, ive still got loads left, but might go out and get some more over the weekend :lol:
 
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