Google Lens and the weeds around my house!

hannygee

New Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2020
Messages
10
Location (City and/or State)
Louisville KY
Do you guys know about Google lens? It’s helping me identify some of the weeds that I’m no longer going to be pulling up in my backyard now that I have a tortoise. I’m going to post a few pictures and I’m hoping that maybe I can get some feedback. I have no idea if these are edible for tortoises. Please see attached screenshots from Google lens and the pictures I took of my weeds and the description Google lens gives underneath. Enjoy! I know the tall stuff in the mason jar is Milo. got that from bird seed that got strewn about from messy birds at my feeder.

E552EB14-22B9-4250-B6C1-B23EBA631756.pngD10E312F-0F73-4B33-A228-D4B4BDE9B7D8.pngA5B0B40A-FD0D-42F2-8265-DF5D457B08CB.pngC5AC9BC8-1FA4-4CAE-8130-2F4F1D7DD1D6.jpeg
 
Joined
Dec 16, 2019
Messages
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Location (City and/or State)
Fresno
It's a neat tool. I use it as well and it can be very helpful. However it sometimes doesn't ID things correctly so it still pays to learn about the local plants in your area.

Matt
 

hannygee

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Joined
Jul 8, 2020
Messages
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Location (City and/or State)
Louisville KY
i think so too.
i am specifically wondering about the plants i posted as I have a proliferation of them. Anyone recognize these? And what about that sad, thrice- ill-named ‘Matted Sandmat’ ‘Prostrate Sandmat’ and best of the worst, ‘Spotted Spurge’? Edible?
 
Joined
Dec 16, 2019
Messages
35
Location (City and/or State)
Fresno
i think so too.
i am specifically wondering about the plants i posted as I have a proliferation of them. Anyone recognize these? And what about that sad, thrice- ill-named ‘Matted Sandmat’ ‘Prostrate Sandmat’ and best of the worst, ‘Spotted Spurge’? Edible?
In California, where I live, the University of California has a very informative weed identification website, including some information on palatability to livestock. Maybe your state has something similar.

M.
 

hannygee

New Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2020
Messages
10
Location (City and/or State)
Louisville KY
In California, where I live, the University of California has a very informative weed identification website, including some information on palatability to livestock. Maybe your state has something similar.

M.
i am a calif native who had to move to ky last year! I am from thousand oaks. Was a caretaker fir two senior Calif Desert Torts thru the CDT.
I miss them and California sooooooo bad!
 

Pastel Tortie

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If you need a plant identified, your local Cooperative Extension Service can be a great resource. You may be able to send or post pictures electronically, or possibly even bring them a sample of the plant.
 

RosemaryDW

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Feb 17, 2016
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Location (City and/or State)
Newport Coast, CA
What I do is to take an identified image, then Google it the regular way and pull up “images.” I can usually narrow down a match after looking at several pictures of what it is alleged to be. State plant lists are great getting started but some are hard to use if you are absolutely a beginner.

It seems pretty cool, but like all the apps I’ve tried so far, imperfect so it’s important to check against another source when you aren’t sure. If you still aren’t sure, you can check with your Cooperative Extension, as mentioned.

I can’t tell about the possible sandmat plant because the photo doesn’t show it growing. I usually need a photo of the plant in the ground taken from a moderate distance to get a sense for what it is. Perhaps Google does as well. :) Two of the Google images look like spurge to me, which is “bad” but which your tortoise is probably unlikely to eat. I wouldn’t feed it intentionally and I’d pull it out of any enclosure but if your tortoise somehow managed a nibble, it will be fine. Desert tortoises eat them but they are adapted to them; we don’t know about other tortoises.

Otherwise, yes, you have horseweed and some kind of buddleia, one of which is summer lilac or butterfly bush. It’s a great plant for butterflies (obviously) and other insects. Safe in moderation.
 

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