Hoping some of these are tort safe!

Kimmers000

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(I'll apologize ahead of time - for some reason I can't see many of the pics in the thread with pics of toxic and edible things... I get some kind of photo bucket error message. I'm on my phone at the moment - I'll try later on the desktop.)

Anyway! I've been tromping around my yard looking for tort food, and there are several weeds (or bird-deposited plants) that I don't recognize in my yard. Here's hoping someone recognizes one or two!

Also - I've read conflicting advice - we have insane blackberry bushes, can she have a leaf or two sometimes?

#1
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#2
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#3 Is this purslane?
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#4 Really hoping that this is mallow or something edible for her because it's going nuts and there's ton of it... I THINK that when it flowers, they are small and yellow, but I can't remember for sure.... I think it flowered in the spring/early summer.
IMG_4107.JPG

#5
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Frogg.Queen

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I think #3 is broadleaf plantain, but I’d need a better photo to be 100% sure. (Broadleaf is safe for tortoises)
I have a few ideas what #5 could be, but I’d need a better picture of that too. It looks sort of like bristly oxtongue
 

Kimmers000

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So I went in to my local beloved garden store (and accidentally came home with lavatera and pansies for her... hah!) for some identification help.

Still not sure what #1 is...

# 2 dead nettle? Waiting for it to mature a bit

# 3 likely purslane but the plant is tiny so I'm also waiting for it to grow some more

#4 buttercup, unfortunately

#5 still not sure

Gah! But in better news, I also have cape fuchsia, plantain, loads of dandelion, clover in abundance, bachelors buttons, AND I found out that a friend has grapes. So at least I have some variety for her!
 

Kimmers000

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Here's another pic of #5 - it's still a small plant but I'm pretty sure I've seen it larger in other parts of my yard in the past...

IMG_4109.JPG
 

RosemaryDW

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#5 is definitely groundsel. Opinions range from NO NEVER FEED to “maybe a bite every now and then.” But it’s not your friend. :/

#3 is too cut up to know. Did a lawnmower go over it?

#4 Buttercup is in the Ranunculus family and Russians eat tons of plants in that family in their native habitat. I know what the Tortoise Table says about it and if you want to be very very safe, don’t feed it. But I would. I wish we had a native buttercup in my area; t’s about the only type of plant I can’t get here. Read about native diet in this article posted in our very own Russian sub forum: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/article-steppe-tortoise-diet-in-the-wild.30230/. Russians eat plenty of forbidden poppies in the wild as well.

Looks like you’ve got plenty of other, safe foods so no need to feed anything that you feel uncomfortable about.
 

Kimmers000

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Thank you! Yes, the back yard has been recently mown... I might dig that guy up and move it until I can tell what it is... it seems to be only one of its kind out there. I'll read that thread, thank you!
 

Tom

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The lower plant in #5 is dandelion. I see more of it in the bottom right corner of the second #5 pic.
 

Kimmers000

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Thanks! Yes, the dandelions are strong here - they're all over! Not complaining because they're an easy tort food!
 
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