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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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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

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Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

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Monday - February 27, 2012

From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Weed identification
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Weeds / Wildflower. I dream of a photo identification for weeds / wildflowers that pop up in my garden here in Austin, Texas. Maybe I don't want to pull them up. How do I know? Do you know of a book or website?

ANSWER:

As far as I know, there aren't any books or websites with pictures or identifications of weeds specifically for the Austin area, but I can guide you to a websites that cover various areas of the US.  All of these have photographs and many have photographs of seedlings as well as mature plants.  Many have the option of selecting characteristics (e.g., leaf shape and flower color) to narrow the list for viewing.

Websites for weed identification:

Websites for seedling identification of wildflowers:

Here are books that will help identify weeds:

Good luck!

 

 

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