Common Ragwort

I don’t suppose many of you would tolerate ragwort in your garden, but as it is an important nectar source for bees, I allow one large plant to survive. It comes back every year and it is always taller than the previous year. One year it became full of aphids and the ants moved in to farm them. It was interesting to observe.

The common ragwort is today's subject in the nature book ‘Wonderland’ by Brett Westwood and Stephen Moss. There is a section in the book for everyday of the year and I read it every morning after breakfast. The book explains that although ragwort is toxic to horses and cattle, and can cause cirrhosis of the liver, cases of poisoning are extremely rare. The risk comes when the dried plant is eaten among hay.