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Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

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Monday - August 04, 2008

From: Burns, OR
Region: Northwest
Topic: Trees
Title: Are poplar trees and willows safe for animals to eat
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

poplar trees and willows, are they friendly for farm animals to consume leaves?

ANSWER:

Mr. Smarty Plants could find no references to poplars (Populus spp.) or willows (Salix spp.) in any of the following toxic plant databases:

Poisonous Plants of North Carolina

Cornell University Poisonous Plants Informational Database

Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System

University of Pennsylvania's Poisonous Plants Database

Indiana Plants Poisonous to Livestock and Pets

Texas Toxic Plants Database

The fact that neither of these trees appears in any of the toxic plant databases indicates that there is no evidence thus far that the plants pose any sort of threat to livestock.

 

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