Weeds for Hermie ID! Thank you!

[elliotmarie]

Hi all! We have these weeds in our front yard and I keep trying to use the plant photo apps and it just isn’t working. Hermie absolutely loves being outside, running, climbing and especially grazing. He’s a Russian tort! Would anyone be able to help me ID these so I can pull them if needed? Thank you so so much! I’m in Washington state!

 

[Tom]

Pics 3 and 4 show a lot of dandelion, but I don't know what the other fuzzy plant in the picture is. I also don't know the other ones.

I would not let the tortoise have access to that area until you know what each plant is and verify the safety of each one. You might have to pull some and take samples to a local nursery. There is almost always a "plant nerd" that knows more about weeds and plants than we know about tortoises.

 

[LasTortugasNinja]

reasonably certain the purple flower one with red vein stalks is a type of goatweed. we get them in Utah. I don't remember the name of the "fuzzy" white one is, but I had those in my yard, and my local university agriculture experts knew it, and I found it was one of those "don't feed/or very moderate feed" for being a tummy issue for torts. I pulled them all in my yard.

Every state has experts for agriculture and local infestation of non-native species that can ID most plants from one or two photos and LOVE a chance to help the public rather than their normal "boring" job. Strike up a friendship with one and you got a tortoise food gourmet on call when ever you need!

 

[RosemaryDW]

The last is Scarlet Pimpernel, although in my area the flowers tend to me more orange/salmon colored than red.

It’s in a plant family that is relatively small and that we don’t know much about. It can cause problems in cattle but cattle aren’t reptiles so that doesn’t necessarily mean it will cause harm to tortoises.

I don’t know that I would eradicate it from my yard but I wouldn’t intentionally feed it.

For what it’s worth, my outdoor Russian has occasionally seen it and has never found it of interest.