Identifying Poisonous Plants

It goes without saying that it’s a good idea to know if your plants are poisonous to humans or animals. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to find one database or resource that gives a complete list of all the poisonous plants in the United States. Here are few sites that you can visit if you’re trying to determine if your plants are toxic:

Cornell University’s Plants Poisonous to Livestock Database
US Army Guide to Poisonous and Toxic Plants
Texas A&M University’s Poisonous Plants Publication

With the Christmas season approaching, it’s a good time to remind ourselves that some of the plants we use to decorate our homes can be harmful to pets. Mistletoe and Holly are two that can be moderately to severely toxic. I always thought that Poinsettia was poisonous, but according the Cornell site it’s not very toxic at all. Still, it’s a good idea to keep it out of the reach of pets and children.