Red Bud Trees

[Snicker Bar]

These are blooming all over the farm here; they are a tree with tiny, scarlet/red flowers . Usually the first thing to bloom here in the South. Is anyone familiar with these; are the branches and flowers safe ? If so do they like them? My girls have been thrilled with the Bradford Pear branches with white flowers, but don’t want to pluck these poor trees bare lol. We have tons of the red buds to spare..

[Diggie's Friend]

Aka Pansy Forest 'redbud', a Canadian (northern) species; I was told we have a southern variety that does better in hotter climates. It is considered a fast growing species. We have one we planted in our front yard that is now mature. It's just coming in now with flowers, but has some early leaves too. The rest of the leaves tend to follow the flowers in order of appearance. I assume we have the southern, as it gets really hot here. The tree does fine as long as it gets water during the hot season more often; for otherwise they appear to be very drought resistiance once established. Disneyland in So. Calif. , where it tend to be even hotter than our valley for more months out of the year, has them all over the park. The pink blooms are really lovely but short-lived.

[Snicker Bar]

We have them growing wild along the creek in our pasture. So pretty!

Do you think the branches and flowers would be safe for my NR Greys? I didn’t see this tree listed on the Safe Foods list ; but also haven’t seen it on any toxic lists. Just wanted to check. Believe it or not, some of the locals ( people!!) here eat these things ! I also saw Organic Dandilion greens in the veggie section of the grocery last night ; strange salad to me ! But my Hunny Bun gets plenty in his salads :)

[Diggie's Friend]

So far nothing stating this specific tree is toxic, yet it belongs to the pea family, not your garden peas, different family, but the one noted to be slightly edible to somewhat toxic. So even so it notes the following, it isn't unusual that tree squirrels will nibble a bit of this or that, which though are the same forms as the edible sources that they consume, likely contain some toxins. I have seen our Ms. Diggie eating some berries in the late winter that are ok for birds, but noted to be toxic for mammals. Unsurprisingly that they will eat some mildly toxic sources that to other animals are more toxic, but to consider including these in the diet, that is a bridge to far in my view. I would give this one a pass!


Whitetail deer browse the foliage and twigs during the spring and summer. Squirrels occasionally eat the buds, bark, and seed. Bobwhite quail and songbirds eat the seeds.

[Shewhosweptforest]

I have trimmed branches off my redbuds and given them to my squirrels with no issues :great

[Snicker Bar]

Ok, I guess we may pass just to be safe ... It would be just my luck , one of these girls would be in the 1% category of having a freak reaction :(

But thanks for sharing that some eat them and are fine! I may research it more; I just thought it may be a popular tree with flowers for animals that eat these things .

[Diggie's Friend]

http://acs.confex.com/acs/swrm06/techprogram/P37508.HTM

I like to get more than one source of data when it comes to sources, for even low toxicity can initially have no visable reaction, yet when a toxin builds up that changes.

This source is a study done by a graduate student, it is my first source that relates to pods, and flowers. There no notation on wood that as we know can still contain toxins at lower levels that can build up to reach toxicity.

http://acs.confex.com/acs/swrm06/techprogram/P37508.HTM

[Snicker Bar]

Definitely not worth the risk! Going out on date with dh this am; cutting fresh limbs with leaves ! Thankfully he can identify trees from the list🙂 Hope y’all are having great time at The Gathering, maybe next year I will have more help at work so we can travel .

[cava]

I have to memorize all of the trees in the spring, summer and fall so I can identify what I can cut from bare trees in the winter.

Have a nice outing!

[Diggie's Friend]

This webpage inlcudes a list of safe woods for gerbils, yet limits some sources like maples, like the sugar maple is from which maple sugar is made from the sap, and also consumed by tree squirrels in the spring when the sap rising in spring and for a shorter time in the fall when the sap is receeding back ito the roots of these trees. This may indicate that there is a difference as to toxicity with tree squirrels in some maples, as with birches this is noted specifically. Still as always it is better to error on the safe side than include a source that whether toxic or not the squirrel is sure to chew when offered to it in captivity

As to more data, in the past i have seen on various websites noting not just plants, but specific parts that some are toxic and others aren't. I will see if I can find some of them to share in the future with the board.

http://www.egerbil.com/safe_woods_for_gerbils


Also safe are

Sickle bush (sekelbos)

Willow (BUT stick with Goat, Weeping or Pussy Willow)

Pine (kiln dried & untreated with preservatives etc)

Hawthorn (although safe, thorns are best removed before use)

Birch, several varieties are safe, White, grey, broadleaf, silver and common birch wood are regarded as safe to use. But others can be quite dangerous, so if in doubt it's best left alone. The Leaves and bark contain salicylates and substances with haemolytic properties (destroy red blood cells). Salicylate concentrations are however very low

Oak (Bark is safe and is used in remedies and as a treat for various small mammals) (keep to Fagaceae) do not have oak of the Solanaceae
family - this contains narcotics and are poisonous
Oak family: Chenopodiaceae contains saponins - but is more or less harmless.

Ash (be careful of the seeds as they contain small quantities of hydrogen cyanide)

Limetree (Tiliaceae) other names; Linden and Basswood, is regarded as a safe wood to use.

Forsythia Regarded as generally safe to use, but caution must be taken if you are using it with breeding females. There's reports of it causing adverse effects on pregnancy and lactation in humans, including it being a uterine stimulant and an emmenagogue ( induces or assists menstruation).

Honeysuckle Tartarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tartarica) which is naturalized throughout much of southern Canada and also Fly honeysuckle (Lonicera xylosteum) which is cultivated in southwestern Quebec and southern Ontario have been associated with poisoning but this is the berries, Injecting fruit extracts at high doses has caused sickness and death in mice.

However Wood cuttings from the species Lonicera tartarica are sold as cat toys. The wood contains nepetalactone, which is the active ingredient found in catnip. Many breeds of cats react to the scent of the wood and will paw, lick or rub against it

Hickory: Deemed safe but be cautious of any overly aromatic woods when there are safer alternatives.

[Snicker Bar]

Thanks again,

My husband was laughing about how picky I’ve been; double checking this and that with TSB nutrition experts... He said if those folks are this particular with their squirrels, he can only imagine how healthy THEY must eat!! He said what if I asked if Cheetos, Twinkies , etc. would be ok... I said the Board would blow its stack ! Not joking!

[cava]

Ha hahaha! I'm only healthy when I am making squirrel salad twice a day.

Me with overwinters: eat so many fresh veggies, lose weight.

Me after they're released: what is a veggie? get fat.

[Snicker Bar]

:laugh1

[Diggie's Friend]

Correction clarification in bold:
So far nothing stating this specific tree is toxic, yet it belongs to the pea family, not your garden peas, different genus: Pisum Sativum , but the one noted to be slightly edible to somewhat toxic Cercis.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/list-of-plants-in-the-family-Fabaceae-2021803


Submitted by Almanac Staff on April 28, 2017 - 10:20am

Sweet peas (Pisum sativum) the vegetable, which also send up flowers before the pods (that eventually contain the vegetables), are not poisonous.

[Diggie's Friend]

Redbud (Cercis canadensis) is designated to belong to the same family Fabaceae aka: (Legumincae) but not same genus as garden peas (non toxic), which also belongs to this very large family of plants.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/lis...baceae-2021803

https://www.gardendesign.com/trees/eastern-redbud.html

[Snicker Bar]

So it’s a no for sure then..I guess that’s what the articles mean? I haven’t offered them at all. Sticking with the only other flowering thing here ( Bradford Pear); but finding some rogue , random trees on roads vs the ones in my parking lot. Don’t want to pluck my pet trees too much lol!