We found a Datura stramonium growing here recently, and didn't realise what it was straight away. This has now been removed (wearing rubber gloves) and put on the fire for burning before it seeds. We have a neighbour who insists on spending lots and lots of money cramming his garden with any unusual plants he can find before doing the necessary homework, and were afraid it may have seeded from there, like lots of other plants have. This is also known as Thornapple, and is one of the Nightshade family
Friend gave me some seed today ! Its going in the garbage ! I grew it one year before I knew what it was ! Pulled it up before my horses got into it ! All Datura is toxic !
What worries me is that these folks (the neighbours) have their grandchildren round quite a bit and they are only little. Trouble is some people cannot be advised, they know it all.
We had a neighbor who waxed poetic about the lovely flowers that were growing beside his garage. They had two small ill-behaved daughters, and a nice crop of Bella Donna. I, so help me, considered keeping my mouth shut, but then thought better of it and told him what it was and how toxic it was. He got rid of it. Tetters, know it alls are in the same basket as know nothings!
Yep, that is certainly true. This particular know it all has more money than sense, and his garden is chocablock full of very expensive and unsuitable plants for our particular environment. When I mentioned that he might well lose some, the reply was ''oh, I'll just get some more, they're cheap enough.'' He hasn't got a clue
The fruits of the Shoo Fly plant are supposed to be toxic but I can't find any cases of poisoning by them though? The seeds are included in bird seed mixes so I presume it doesn't do them any harm.
The neighbour is very proud of his massive Pokeweed, growing right next to where the kids play and that sends seeds over to us too
My grandmother made "poke salat" from young poke leaves. Fortunately I was too young to have that inflicted on me. I remember daddy saying that it was called poke because it should be poked down a hole and covered!
That is very interesting to know, as well as being a relief - the information I gleaned from the internet was much as follows:- How poisonous is American pokeweed? Eating pokeberries can pose a risk for birds, particularly late in the year. It seems that pokeberries will sometimes ferment, intoxicating birds that eat them. Although all parts of the pokeweed – berries, roots, leaves and stems – are poisonous to humans, some folks take the risk of eating poke salad each spring. It is a big plant isn't it - I've found lots that seed all over the place, so I do find it a bit of a nuisance (like thistles)
Haha you have given me a mental video of a drunken bird staggering about chirping "Look at Me! I amma Hooman!
Well, it all happens around here. One of the neighbours brought me a hedgehog which had fallen off a garden wall and was behaving in a very confused manner. She was really concerned, so I looked after it overnight in a large cardboard box. It thrashed about a bit as if it was having a right old paddy, but then seemed to settle into a deep sleep (which was unusual for night time) The next morning it went to see the local vet, and we were assured it had suffered severe drunkenness and then a hangover. This is one good reason to clear up all those fruits and berries that are left to ferment - it's not just the hedgehogs, the wasps get more vicious too when they're half cut just not worth it
Squirrels can get a buzz on from maple seeds (samaras). Up north I went out one morning and there were several squirrels sitting in the yard, staring at me. It was somewhat disconcerting. I checked with a local university and found that most likely the squirrels had eaten fermented maple seeds. Still disconcerting!
Can pine nuts do the same thing to squirrels? I had an odd experience in Maine with a red squirrel. I came out to sweep the porch and a red squirrel ran down a tree about 12 feet from the porch, climbed the lattice of the porch on the inside until it was eye-level about 7 feet away from me, leaned out sideways (as if it was sticking straight out from the lattice) and started yelling at me (chirping and sqeaking, of course). Then, it climbed down and ran off. I never saw it again. What the heck was that all about?!
