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Cow Parsley- comparison with poison hemlock
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This picture was taken in May. On the left is the young hemlock plant (Conium maculatum). On the right is a young cow parsley plant (Anthriscus sylvestris). The plants were growing next to each other and illustrate the differences. The main stem and the leaf stems of hemlock are circular, smooth, pale green with reddish purples spots and blotches. The main stem of cow parsley is also circular but has longitudinal grooves. The leaf stems of the cow parsley have the characteristic celery-like groove and are slightly hairy. The colour of cow parsley stems varies from green to purple like the example shown in this picture.
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FORAGING
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FAVOURITE PLANTS TO LOOK FOR
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Hemlock plants
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Hemlock may grow in clumps on roadsides, waste ground, field edges, path edges, meadows, and poorly drained soil near streams or ditches. This photograph was taken in a field next to a river near York in July.
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PLANT TOXICITY
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HEMLOCK
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Rabbit in buttercups
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Buttercups are on many lists of poisonous plants because they can contain an irritant that can cause dermatitis in humans that handle buttercups and salivation, oral ulceration and gastrointestinal irritation in animals that eat them. Rabbits can eat small, young leaves that are growing in pastureland without ill effects. The mature leaves, tall plants and flowers are unpalatable, so they do not eat them. There are no reports of buttercup toxicity in rabbits.
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DIET
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PLANT TOXICITY
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Rabbit with snowdrops
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This is a picture of part of my garden in when rabbits had free range access to it. The rabbits destroyed most of the plants, so the garden is now occupied by guinea pigs who are less destructive. The netting in the background was put there to protect the ivy that grows over the wall because the rabbits were chewing the stems. The snowdrops come up each year and the rabbits (and now the guinea pigs) leave them alone until the leaves die back when they eat the dried leaves with no ill effect.
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DIET
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PLANT TOXICITY
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Nibbled foxglove leaves
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These leaves of the foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) have been nibbled by a young wild rabbit. It is not unusual for rabbits to taste plants and never try them again.
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DIET
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PLANT TOXICITY
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Peace lily
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The peace lily (Spathiphyllum) is a popular houseplant and is an example of one that is potentially poisonous.
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DIET
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PLANT TOXICITY
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Ragwort outside a rabbit burrow
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This picture shows a healthy, mature ragwort plant that has been left untouched by the residents of the neighbouring rabbit burrow.
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DIET
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PLANT TOXICITY
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Hemlock- cut leaf stem
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The shape of the leaf stem is important to differentiate hemlock from other umbelliferae, such as cow parsley. The leaf stem of hemlock circular and hollow.
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PLANT TOXICITY
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HEMLOCK
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Hemlock and Cow Parsley
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This image shows Cow Parsley (Anthricus sylvestris) on the left and Hemlock (Conium maculatum) on the righ. Both plants can grow to be several feet high and at first glance, they look similar. The stems are the first part to examine. The stem on cow parsley is grooved. The stem on hemlock is not and, more importantly, has red blotches on it.
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PLANT TOXICITY
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HEMLOCK
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Cow parsley- cut leaf stem
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This picture shows a cross-section of a cut leaf stem of cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris). It shows the groove that is present. The shape is sometimes likened to a piece of celery.
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PLANT TOXICITY
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HEMLOCK