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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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Tuesday - April 10, 2012

From: Llano, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Plant Identification, Problem Plants
Title: What is the orange vine that is covering the wildflowers from Llano, TX?
Answered by: Jimmy Mills

QUESTION:

What is the invasive orange vine that is covering the wildflowers on Texas highways?

ANSWER:

What you are seeing is a parasitic plant known as Dodder, and you are the third person in the past week who has made this observation. My what a sharp eye you have.

I'm going to refer you to an excellent answer from the earlier question. There is so much information in that answer that it could well leave you "doddering".

 

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