Dandelion<\/h2>\n
![\"forage](\"http:\/\/www.therabbithouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/forage_dandelion.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
This is a dandelion \u00a0(Taraxacum officinale<\/em>), they are very common and grow in all sorts of places \u2013 you might even have them in your garden. Each stem has a single bright yellow flower on the end and when the flowers die they are replaced with a pompom shaped seed head. The bright green leaves and flower stems all radiate out from a central point. Rabbits can eat the leaves, stems and flowers, and you can dry the leaves for eating later.<\/p>\n Stinging nettles (Urtica dioica<\/em>) grow in big swathes often at the bottom of hedges or tucked under trees. They usually grow in big clumps, around 2 to 3 foot tall. Even if you don\u2019t feed them to your rabbit it\u2019s handy to be able to identify them as they\u2019ll cause a stinging rash if you accidentally brush against them. That doesn\u2019t deter rabbits though; they seem immune to the stings and consider these a tasty snack. They have pointed leaves serrated along the edges; the tassels near the top are flowers. You\u2019ll need gloves and long sleeves to pick them, but they also dry well for winter.<\/p>\n Blackberries (Rubus fruticosus<\/em>), or brambles as they as sometimes called, are one of the best plants for rabbits \u2013 they have tasty fibrous leave that are great for those with sensitive tummies. They can often be found in hedgerows and under trees. They have thick leaves on long arching stems with lots of spikes (be careful when cutting them). The leave in the photo are quite bright green and shiny as they are new growth. They get darker and duller as they age. From May they\u2019ll have white\/pale pink flowers, and as the petals fall away, small green berries appear that grow and turn shiny black. Rabbits can eat the stems and the leaves (they\u2019ll even manage those prickles) and the leaves dry well for winter.<\/p>\n This is plantain (Plantago lancelolata\/major<\/em>), it often grows among grass and along side grassy paths, so the long flower heads can make it easier to spot, they are a long stem with a little tuft on the end. Plantain is sometimes called ribwort because the thick leaves have rib like veins running down the length of them. If you tear a leaf you’ll find they are stringy a bit like celery. That is narrow leaf plantain on the left and broad leaf plantain on the right, the leaves are very similar accept short and fat instead of long and thin. Both can be fed fresh or dried for later.<\/p>\n Lastly, this is Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum<\/em>) and its part of the geranium family. It\u2019s little less common, at least where I live, but the bright pink – five petal – flowers are easy to spot. The leaves remind me a little bit of parsley in shape, with lots of splits and they sometimes have a red tinge to the edge. Like the other plants you can feed it fresh or dry.<\/p>\n To make identifying them a little easier, here is a video showing clips of each plant:<\/p>\nStinging Nettle<\/h2>\n
![\"stinging](\"http:\/\/www.therabbithouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/forage_nettle.jpg\")
<\/p>\nBlackberry<\/h2>\n
![\"blackberry\"](\"http:\/\/www.therabbithouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/forage_blackberry.jpg\")
<\/p>\nPlantain (Ribwort)<\/h2>\n
![\"plantain](\"http:\/\/www.therabbithouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/forage_plantain.jpg\")
<\/p>\nHerb Robert<\/h2>\n
![\"forage](\"http:\/\/www.therabbithouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/forage_herbrobert.jpg\")
<\/p>\nVideo<\/h2>\n