Is this a type of thistle?

[Jay Bagley]

Found these plants today along the strip of power lines by the field I get most of my weeds. I can't believe how tall they were, they were huge. Was wondering are they a form of thistle?

 

[RosemaryDW]

Jay, we have got to get you a better phone; your photos are always messy!



Do you mean the plant that’s circled with red? If it’s not a thistle, it’s related and safe. It’s summer and the time of year when thistles are getting crazy big.

Can you get a better picture of the plant with the white flowers? I’m wondering if it’s yarrow.

 

[Jay Bagley]

Jay, we have got to get you a better phone; your photos are always messy!

View attachment 243976

Do you mean the plant that’s circled with red? If it’s not a thistle, it’s related and safe. It’s summer and the time of year when thistles are getting crazy big.

Can you get a better picture of the plant with the white flowers? I’m wondering if it’s yarrow.

Hahaha, my phone takes good pictures, it's just the bone head (me) using it. Pictures of my tortoise always turn out good, pictures of plants I always seem to have the sun on the screen and can't quite tell if I'm getting a good pic or not at the time. I was asking about the one circled in red. The other one that you asked about is yarrow, we have a tremendous amount of yarrow out there. I found some conflicting info on Yarrow, I have read some people feed it, and other people state that it is poisonous. I believe the tortoise table says do not feed, what are your opinions on it. Thank you again for replying, and sorry again about the crappy photo.

 

[Iochroma]

"Teasel" - Disacus fullonum

 

[RosemaryDW]

The other one that you asked about is yarrow, we have a tremendous amount of yarrow out there. I found some conflicting info on Yarrow, I have read some people feed it, and other people state that it is poisonous. I believe the tortoise table says do not feed, what are your opinions on it.

That’s interesting. I never even looked it up on the Tortoise Table, because I’ve read so many times here people feed it.

We have it growing in our yard, in fact if you look at my avatar, Addy’s burrow is behind a clump of it. She eats it regularly in the summer with no eye problems but of course if you feel cautious, you shouldn’t feed it.

I think one of the reasons she likes it is it’s a really good grazing plant and that’s what they are built for: grazing. She’s actually got two spots that she grazes and keeps short and other spots she’ll walk through but never takes a nibble. She doesn’t care for the flowers. I’m not sure what she’d think if she was in an enclosure and I just dropped it in; she didn’t try it until her second year with us, when she was used to eating things besides lettuce.

Again, if you are nervous, don’t feed it. Russians seem to be able to handle anything; I can’t speak to sulcatas whatsoever.

 

[Maro2Bear]

"Teasel" - Disacus fullonum

Yep...the one that looks like Thistle is Teasel. Makes a great dried plant to do ornamental flower arrangements. I believe it is a biennial. The seed drops and it just grows the green plant, second year it puts up stalks with those “cones” full of millions of seeds. Rather invasive..

 

[Jay Bagley]

"Teasel" - Disacus fullonum

Thankyou!!

 

[Jay Bagley]

That’s interesting. I never even looked it up on the Tortoise Table, because I’ve read so many times here people feed it.

We have it growing in our yard, in fact if you look at my avatar, Addy’s burrow is behind a clump of it. She eats it regularly in the summer with no eye problems but of course if you feel cautious, you shouldn’t feed it.

I think one of the reasons she likes it is it’s a really good grazing plant and that’s what they are built for: grazing. She’s actually got two spots that she grazes and keeps short and other spots she’ll walk through but never takes a nibble. She doesn’t care for the flowers. I’m not sure what she’d think if she was in an enclosure and I just dropped it in; she didn’t try it until her second year with us, when she was used to eating things besides lettuce.

Again, if you are nervous, don’t feed it. Russians seem to be able to handle anything; I can’t speak to sulcatas whatsoever.

I had seen on here people were feeding it as well, I have given it to him and he seems to like it. Then I saw the other cautions about it, so I thought I better ask. Thank you for your reply, I really appreciate it.