backyard plant identification

1.) i think this could be some kind of nettle. the backyard sure does have a lot of them. can i safely harvest some of these leafy greens and cook them for dinner?


2.) backyard also has a lot of these pretty white flowers. anyone know what theyre called?


3.) these stalks are everywhere too. any chance they might be edible?

Number 2 looks like it could be white cinquefoil, need to see more of the plant, if those strawberry looking leaves belong to the flowers, i would be fairly certain. Number 3 looks like it could be smartweed, if true, it will have a spike of purplish small flowers. If these guesses are correct, they are edible and medical, as most weeds are. Number one does look like nettle, but it would be much easier to tell when it blooms, or if you touch it.

This may also be the appropriate time to mention the differences between eatable and edible. In other words, one could eat many barks to survive, but would make a terrible meal. And with all plants, especially foraged, roll a small amount in your mouth and wait. Swallow spit from chewed plant, wait. Consume small amount, wait. When one eats the lesser known edibles and eatables, its hard to tell what your reaction will be to a foreign plant.

#1 Looks like White Snakeroot
#2 White Campion
#3 Not Smartweed. Smartweed doesn't have hairy stems. Unsure what it is at this time.

The first one I would be interested in finding the answer. I have something similar looking. Colonized quickly and at maturity resemble Jerusalem artichoke with a small yellow flower.

I agree with mitch. Keen eye, i am not good without touch and smell. My smart weed is fuzzy in adolescents? Where are you in western pa mitch? Not too many of us over here.

#2 The stalks behind the white flowers with wavy leaves look like Curly Dock. If so, they are edible.

Chad, I was in the Mercer County area, but recently moved to the state of Indiana. I should change that.

thanks for all the input. tis appreciated.

There are many Smartweed species, but I've never seen any with fuzzy stems, although some species may have a small number of hairs, but not on the stems. Also, all Smartweeds always have swollen nodes on the stems and #3 doesn't have that.

#3 could be Horseweed or a Fleabane of some type, which often do have hairy stems.