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Are moonflowers dangerous to animals?
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Posted by ljlj818 z5OH (My Page) on Sat, Jul 24, 04 at 2:11
| I am really interested in planting moonflowers from seed next spring, but a bunch of sites I have visited warned that they may be poisonous to animals. I have rabbits that visit at night to eat the seeds the birds drop from the feeder (and also like to nibble my plants-until I found Ropel, which is non-toxic) along with the neighbor's cats and squirrels. I would feel horrible if I accidently poisoned an animal, so is there any truth to the warning that moonflowers can be poisonous to animals? Thanks, LJ |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Are moonflowers dangerous to animals?
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Yes they are, along with many others. For some reason they are more toxic to cattle and domestic animals. I have them and also have been able to enjoy the wildlife. You would think that the birds would eat the seed but they do not, I do not recall in 6 or more years ever seening a nibble on my plant.
Let me warn you, Wisteria, the seed, pods and wilted leaves will really cause you problems with cattle. First hand experience! |
RE: Are moonflowers dangerous to animals?
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Merriss, thank you for the information! Although I live in Ohio, the nearest farm with cattle is about a mile away and it is tiny (like 6-7 cows, so not rural-I live near Akron) but thanks for the warning. I was more worried about the birds, squirrels, rabbits, and the neighbor's cats. My cats are indoor animals, but love to eat any houseplant I have, so I figure outdoor cats would too. If your moonflowers have stayed intact, I guess the animals know to stay away from them. Thanks again.
LJ |
RE: Are moonflowers dangerous to animals?
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| I've never had the daturas, moon vine or brugs snacked on by critters but the insects seem to have no problem. Last year someone (raccoon I think) did eat datura seeds, the only reason I know this is that I found a deposit of scat right outside our deck doors, it was loaded with datura seed, the muddy paw prints told me it was a masked bandit. I think he survived the experience tho I am quite sure he had a very sick tummy from the look of the gift he left behind. |
RE: Are moonflowers dangerous to animals?
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| Hey there! I have dats and cats and we live in Columbus. I don't think this is something cats would snack on. In fact, there is no damage at all to the plants even though the bugs have gone a little crazy this year. My cats eat grass and catmint - nepeta. They seem to know what to stay away from. It's still a good idea to thoroughly research the subject on line so YOU feel comfortable with growing datura. Good luck and let us know what you find out. |
RE: Are moonflowers dangerous to animals?
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| I think that wild animals have an instinct about what they can and cannot eat. My domestic rabbit, Floppsie and her 5 babies are let out every evening to browse, I have several poison plants and they never touch them. Wonder if the Mom teaches them, or just instinct? I also have chickens that are turned out to forage and they don't eat the poison stuff either, niether do the dogs or my neighbors cats. Ever wonder how a squirrel knows which side of a Buckeye nut to eat? One side is poison, the other side is not. Go figure:) I was raised on a dairy farm and a cow will eat anything, as far up into an oak tree as she can reach even. Ever had to drink wild onion milk? YUCK, just awful. I was raised in Florida on a dairy farm and we always had to go out and pull up Datura out of the fields. A wild weed back then, I always thought how can something so beautiful be so deadly. My Moma would watch us like a Hawk that none of us put our hands in our mouths after handling one. Now everybody wants them, shoot I knew they were gorgeous when I was just 5.:) |
RE: Are moonflowers dangerous to animals?
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| I have a small domestic dog that seems to snack on the moon flowers. What are some symptoms of sickness associated with this? |
RE: Are moonflowers dangerous to animals?
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you would expect them to have difficulty drinking, they salivate heavily, stumble and eventually if the intake is enough have a croup like cough thus leading to respiratory distress and death. Hope yours do not get enough of them to cause this. No problems with the Dats at my house but we have had problems with other plants.
Good luck! |
RE: Are moonflowers dangerous to animals?
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Koles, I love Daturas! The native wild one most common, is D. stramonium, better known as jimsonweed. I worked on a farm in north central Kansas some 13 years ago, and asked about spraying these toxic plants. The farmer told me to just leave them alone. For some odd reason, his cattle were repulsed by the scent and flavor of healthy jimson, but he had sprayed some many years earlier and the breakdown of the affected plants attracted some cattle to eat them. He lost 2-3 head, but others just got sick.
Manduca hornworms will eat Daturas with enthusiasm, but they will also eat potato leaves, black [deadly] nightshade and other species of Solanaceae. Go figure. |
RE: Are moonflowers dangerous to animals?
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| I thought Moonflower & Datura/Jimsonweed were two different plants? |
RE: Are moonflowers dangerous to animals?
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| Jill, a jimson weed is a Datura, but not all Dats are jimsons. Most people have Datura inoxia or D. metelloides planted as an ornamental, which has flowers at least 2-3x larger than the wild jimson. Actually, I think the gray-leafed cultivated Datura or moonflower is a native plant, too. |
RE: Are moonflowers dangerous to animals?
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| Jill, to add to the confusion about moonflowers, there is a VINE called a moonflower. I sometimes get confused about which thing someone is talking about unless they mention that they are talking about the vine. I grow both now, but 'moonflower' meant vine to me for years, before I heard about Datura. |
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