Is the phrase

> "Are there any vegetables except for asparagus?"

equivalent to

> "Are there any vegetables other than asparagus?"

The first feels wrong, and the second feels right, but I have no clear understanding of why that is, or when "except for" should be used rather than "other than", or if they are in fact completely interchangeable.

A second case:

> Except for asparagus, I love vegetables.
>
> Other than asparagus, I love vegetables.

These two phrases *seem* equivalent to me. Are they?