{"id":18588,"date":"2022-08-12T09:12:07","date_gmt":"2022-08-12T07:12:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/?p=43176"},"modified":"2022-08-12T13:06:14","modified_gmt":"2022-08-12T11:06:14","slug":"ragwort-guide-what-is-ragwort-is-it-poisonous-and-where-does-it-grow","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/rss_feed\/ragwort-guide-what-is-ragwort-is-it-poisonous-and-where-does-it-grow\/","title":{"rendered":"Ragwort guide: what is ragwort, is it poisonous and where does it grow?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Mark Rowe\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 12 August 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Ragwort is one of the most divisive plants in the countryside. It contains chemicals that are toxic to livestock and has been blamed for many deaths of horses and other animals. Yet, conservationists say it\u2019s a native wildflower vital for pollinating insects.<\/p>\n

Learn what ragwort is, where it can be found, benefits and the dangers associated with it in our expert ragwort guide.<\/p>\n

What is ragwort?<\/h2>\n
Rag<\/span>wort is a tall plant that grows to 90cm high and bears large, flat-topped clusters of yellow daisy-like flowers from July to October. \u00a0<\/span>Nineteen species of the Ragwort genus Senecio<\/em> are found in the wild in Britain, but most of these are garden escapes or other introductions. <\/span><\/p>\n
The main \u2018weed\u2019 species is the common ragwort Senecio jacobaea<\/i>, a native species that thrives where bare ground or thin vegetation allows the development of seedlings. It is also known as \u2018stagger weed\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

More related content:<\/p>\n
Key insect pollinators of summer in the UK\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n
Guide to British fungi: where to find it and how to identify it\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n
Guide to British lichens: how to identify and where to find\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
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$\""Ragwort\"$ <\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/section>
How common is ragwort?<\/h2>\n
Experts suggest that once ragwort is on certain areas of land, it can be really difficult to manage. A single plant can contain thousands of seeds and these can disperse into fields.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Many farmers take preventative measures to reduce the risk of ragwort spreading on the land they own, but it is hard to reduce the risk fully as it often appears on areas that are less easy to control, such as roadside verges.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Ragwort plants have flat-topped, buttercup yellow flowers that generally appear in summer and stay until mid autumn <\/span>(Photo by: DEAC \/ DELU via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Why is ragwort important?<\/h2>\n
The charity Buglife<\/em><\/a> says that ragwort is a long-standing and important part of our native flora in Britain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Among the 30 species of bee, beetle, other insects and fungi supported by ragwort are the daisy carpenter bee and the cinnabar moth, meaning it has significant benefits to conservation. \u00a0<\/span>As a result, while farmers understand that ragwort can be dangerous to livestock, many recognise ragwort for biodiversity and don\u2019t advocate blanket removal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Ragwort – still providing food for wildlife when everything else is burnt to a crisp! pic.twitter.com\/ZqoKFICgHT<\/a><\/p>\u2014 Simon Harding (@SimonOntheverge) August 9, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote>