Weeds in North Central Florida

[Crunkgrinder]

Hi, I'm Taylor and I haven't got a tortoise yet but I am in the initial planning and researching phase. My biggest concern is proper diet. I live in north central Florida so it's sunny and green all year round but I was wondering if anyone knows what plants are native to the area that I could likely easily find? I know it's probably not quite as hard as it seems but I find the diet issue complicated and I want to figure out what I'm doing before I get my tortoise. TIA!
-Taylor

 

[Big B]

You can grow plenty of great food for Russians in your area. Mulberry trees, cactus, and hibiscus bushes.

 

[Yvonne G]

I found this seed mixture on Amazon.com. It contains all kinds of edible weeds. However, in looking for it now, I can't find it again.

The packet contains such as: Dandelion, Smooth Hawks Beard, Nipplwort, Chicory, Smoth Sow Thistle, Great Plantain, Hoary Plantain, Ribwort Plantain, Common Mallow, Musk Mallow, Dwarf Mallow, Shepherds Purse, Hairy Bittercress, Wavy Bittercress, White/ Dutch Clover, Red Clover, Common Vetch, Sainfoin, Creeping Bell Flower, Field Bindweed and Hedge Mustard!

 

[Oxalis]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

A quick Google search on Florida's native plants will provide you with plenty of websites to locate native plants in your area. I'm quite fond of native gardening in my outdoor tortoise enclosure, so I definitely recommend! After looking up some plants, you'll want to cross-reference your findings with The Tortoise Table, which sets a good standard for which plant families are safest for torts. This was a lot of research for me, but absolutely worth it in the end, since native plants are best equipped for their location. One native plant that just exploded in my garden this past year was my evening primrose (Oenothera biennis), the seeds from which are also perfect snacks for the goldfinches, and my Russian tort loves the leaves and flowers!

Florida seems to have a lot more native plant resources than we do here in Michigan (last I checked). Here are a few:
Florida Native Plant Society: http://www.fnps.org/
Florida-friendly Plant Database: http://floridayards.org/fyplants/
Florida Association of Native Nurseries: http://www.afnn.org/
Guide to Plant Selection & Landscape Design (PDF): http://fyn.ifas.ufl.edu/pdf/FYN_Plant_Selection_Guide_v090110.pdf
University of Florida: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_native_plants

Also, here's the seed packet I think @Yvonne G is referring to: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0052U7NQC/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

Good luck on your quest!!