Baymule
Herd Master
Isn’t it fun and educational to find out what is growing on your property!
Sheep on the Wild Graze
- Thread starter SageHill
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Skiesblue
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Late to the party. What an interesting thread. Baymule’s sheep and mine must be sharing notes mine eat a lot of toxic plants as well. Theyare carefully pulling the blooms off of the bull nettle and nibbling at the wooly croton. I wonder if some plants toxic or no, taste better after the weather cools down.
Baymule
Herd Master
I HATE bull nettle! The seeds it makes are supposed to be edible. Animals always beat me to them, probably squirrels.
- Thread starter
- #34
SageHill
Herd Master
I've definitely gone down this rabbit hole !!! It is fun to learn stuff.
That bull nettle looks nasty! Glad I don't see it here (so far).
Baymule
Herd Master
It’s more of a Texas thing. I had them on Lindale, none here. They make a big root that gets bigger with each year. Frost kills the plant, but not the root. They get the size of a watermelon. The root will sting you too.
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- #36
SageHill
Herd Master
Back to grazing! For awhile things turned brown and identifying brown dried up plants is not something the phone ap does particularly well. Heck - it's not 100% on the plants either (so I double and triple check).
The sheep enjoyed their usual Wild Mustard, California Buckwheat and Sugar Sumac.
New for this thread today
Stork's Bill, redstem filaree, or pinweed. Erodium cicutarium
This little plant is loved by the sheep. It's very low growing and has little purple flowers. The seeds look like little corkscrews. CalIPC lists this as an invasive plant but has little impact on native plants. According to the eattheweeds website this plant is edible and was included in the Blackfeet, Shoshone and Digger Indian's diet. Cattle, sheep and goats graze on it and it's seeds are harvested by ants and also eaten by many birds and rodent. It is also high in Vitamin K.
A not yet flowering version that the sheep were eating today.
The sheep enjoyed their usual Wild Mustard, California Buckwheat and Sugar Sumac.
New for this thread today
Stork's Bill, redstem filaree, or pinweed. Erodium cicutarium
This little plant is loved by the sheep. It's very low growing and has little purple flowers. The seeds look like little corkscrews. CalIPC lists this as an invasive plant but has little impact on native plants. According to the eattheweeds website this plant is edible and was included in the Blackfeet, Shoshone and Digger Indian's diet. Cattle, sheep and goats graze on it and it's seeds are harvested by ants and also eaten by many birds and rodent. It is also high in Vitamin K.
A not yet flowering version that the sheep were eating today.
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- Thread starter
- #37
SageHill
Herd Master
Woody Crinklemat, doveweed - Tiquilia canescens
I've seen this around on occasion. It is native to the southwest. While I found a reference on the web on selina wamucii website that it has traditional uses to treat fever, headaches, and sore throats that is the only use reference I found.
The sheep avoided this plant. I did find several references to this and other varieties of tiquilia as being cyanogenic.
Hmmm - a deeper dive into that one -- cyanogenesis is the release of cyanide from damaged tissue. I definitely need to take a long look at this. Complete with taking notes. There seems to be conflicting information - another site says it's an important graze plant.
I'm sticking with the sheep on this one - stay away.
I've seen this around on occasion. It is native to the southwest. While I found a reference on the web on selina wamucii website that it has traditional uses to treat fever, headaches, and sore throats that is the only use reference I found.
The sheep avoided this plant. I did find several references to this and other varieties of tiquilia as being cyanogenic.
Hmmm - a deeper dive into that one -- cyanogenesis is the release of cyanide from damaged tissue. I definitely need to take a long look at this. Complete with taking notes. There seems to be conflicting information - another site says it's an important graze plant.
I'm sticking with the sheep on this one - stay away.
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Baymule
Herd Master
Identifying and knowing the plants on your property sure helps. You are learning what is good and what is bad. You could carry a sharp hoe with you and chop plants off at ground level.
I’ve gone around pulling up some of the toxic plants on my place. It has made a difference.
I’ve gone around pulling up some of the toxic plants on my place. It has made a difference.
- Thread starter
- #39
SageHill
Herd Master
I should but I’ve got a stock stick and I’m not that coordinated to carry and use both
. Strangely enough I do remember where I’ve seen most of them. I can and have at times go back with the UTV an a load of tools. I have thought about tagging them with surveyors tape - but I don’t know the good, bad or ugly of the plants until I get on the computer.- Thread starter
- #40
SageHill
Herd Master
San Diego County Sunflower, Tornleaf Goldeneye - Bahiopsis laciniata
Obviously native here. Though the ones on the ranch are a result of required hydroseeding when we built.
Pretty yellow daisy like flowers cover this shrubby plant. Sheep like to munch on it. I can not find any reference to it being toxic or otherwise.
Another - I'll believe what the sheep are telling me.
Obviously native here. Though the ones on the ranch are a result of required hydroseeding when we built.
Pretty yellow daisy like flowers cover this shrubby plant. Sheep like to munch on it. I can not find any reference to it being toxic or otherwise.
Another - I'll believe what the sheep are telling me.
