Native Plants
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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Smarty Plants Question Topics
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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| Report on object glowing in tree in New Hampshire August 04, 2013 Hello again Mr Smartpants. I commented about a purple glow coming from a tree in previous comments. Since then they have multiplied and are spreading to different trees. We believe we may have it narr... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identity of night-glowing object in tree in New Hampshire August 02, 2013 I know this sounds crazy but last night when my husband stepped outside he noticed a purplish glow in one of the trees. At first he thought some kind of animal but when throwing a rock at it it did no... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identity of plant in South Carolina with tiny purple flowers August 02, 2013 I found a plant while walking my dogs. I live in South Carolina. The plant gets maybe a foot tall, has a square stem and the top of plant is a candelabra with timy purple flowers in it. What is this... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of shrub with pink catalpa-like flowers July 31, 2013 Ironically, this plant is growing on a hill behind a nursery. We are all curious what it could be..I've done internet searches for 2 days. My best guess is that it's in the catalpa family, but it's... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of shrub/small tree with small purple fruit July 31, 2013 Hi! I have a tree/bush that has come up on its own in the backyard. This year it set what looks like small purple plums. Is there any chance that they might be poisonous? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plant identification of plant with leaves like poison ivy July 30, 2013 I would like to identify a plant whose leaves look like poison ivy, but the stem is white and has thorns. It is not thready. It was prevalent in overgrown garden beds of a house in Litchfield, CT. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Invasive spreading weed in Michigan that looks like a small pine tree July 29, 2013 I have an invasive spreading weed in my gardens. It has black root system, comes up looking like a small pine tree. The green breaks off when you try to pull it. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identity of small "Pitcher" plants growing in backyard July 25, 2013 I have small pitcher plants growing in the grass in my backyard. Looks like very dark cobra. Come every summer when very hot. They are about 4 or 5 inches from base to tip of hood. I have a pic. le... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plant identification July 22, 2013 I've lived at my apartment complex for a year now and this current spring/summer I noticed the grounds keeper leaving a fern like plant that is approx. 1-2 feet tall and approx. 1 foot wide. It's le... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant ID from The Woodlands TX July 22, 2013 Your plant database does not distinguish 2 native tree species. Common names for these 2 trees: American hophornbeam and ironwood or musclewood. These common names are used for both trees - even m... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of a mint-like plant in California July 21, 2013 I found a plant growing near my apricot (in Fresno, California). It has a square stem which becomes more rounded toward the base. The leaves are smooth, opposite, and they have three to five leaflets ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification July 19, 2013 My nephew bought an old farmhouse in Southeast Texas. There is a plant there that has glossy leaves similar to a lemon leaf. I cannot tell from the pic if it is a shrub or a vine. It is blooming now, ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification of purple flower in Washington state July 19, 2013 I need help. I am a 10 year old girl who just happens to have a brother. He has a deep purple flower with small, oval shaped petals. We would like to know what it is. We planted it in a garden thing a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of fast-growing weeds with orange flowers July 14, 2013 I have fast growing plants (weeds?) in my heavily wooded backyard. They reach heights of over 6 ft and have orange flowers. I have spent hours searching the web today with no success -the closest thin... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of a plant with winged stems in Texas July 08, 2013 Dear Mr. Smarty Pants, We live in Denton Texas & our backyard is being taken over by a very woody type weed or bush. The most distinguishing characteristic is that long thin vertical ridges or fins... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plant identification of vine with fluffy-seeded pod July 05, 2013 I saw a fluffy seeded pod on our hike this morning. I have seen this vine before, but do not know the proper and scientific name of it. Its leaves appear to be opposite and heart shaped. Could it be a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plant identification July 01, 2013 I picked a beautiful large red wildflower, & by the time I got home, the stem had turned "spikey" and dark black! Very ugly & a little scary as I had never heard of such a flower! Can you identify?? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identity of plant that smells like dill in California June 30, 2013 Whenever I drive over the Sonoma County, CA coastal range and to the beach (usually Bodega) as you get closer to the ocean the air is scented not just with the wonderful smell of the sea, but also of ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Photo identification from Sun Tan Valley AZ June 29, 2013 I just tried sending y'all some photos of a plant I'd like to identify. The email address failed. Please let me know how I can get these 3 photos sent. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of purple wildflower shaped like a bottle rocket June 19, 2013 Dear Smarty Plants, the other day while driving north on 281 from San Antonio I noticed a purple wildflower that was shaped sort of like a bottle rocket, seemed to have leaves similar to verbena and ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of flower similar to bluebell in Washington June 16, 2013 Is there somewhere I can submit a picture to see what kind of flower it is? It looks like a bluebell but more star shaped. Found on the side of the road in Oak Harbor, WA View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| What's invading my bermuda grass? June 11, 2013 Our grass is being totally overrun by this weed.(I don't know what the name is identify it by the description. It is in Bermuda grass and the only way to describe the weed is to say it looks like big... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identity of tree with fragrant yellow flowers and thorns June 06, 2013 I'm not sure if this is a native plant. It's a tree, around 15" tall. The leaves are in bunches with 3-4 very sharp small spines at each bunch. Flowers are small, yellow, hang down from the leaf... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of plant with crimson tubular flowers June 06, 2013 I saw this lovely flower in a field in Cleveland Tx. It was growing in a patch with maybe 4 or 5 other of the same yet only in that area. The flower is crimson red, long and tubular that grow on a woo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of alien-looking plant June 06, 2013 I have a plant that grows 4-5 feet tall, it has pretty "alien looking" flowers with "pods" under flower, and marijuana looking leaves and smell. My neighbor gave me a start last year, and it has ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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