Wednesday 15 July 2009

Ragwort

Ragwort is a poisonous plant that is often found in heavily grazed areas, such as the rabbit warren near the old canal:

This is possibly Oxford Ragwort, a variety that 'escaped' from the Oxford Botanic Gardens (http://www.botanic-garden.ox.ac.uk) in the 1700's and spread using the railways that were being constructed at the time.

Due to it's poisonous nature, it is a favourite of the cinnabar moth caterpillar:

Who use it's toxicity as a natural defence against predators.

Interesting (and well researched) information regarding the myths associated with Ragworth can be found at: http://www.ragwortfacts.com/ragwort-myths.html - thanks Kate
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3 comments:

  1. Kate16 July 2009 at 05:42

    I gather it's only poisonous when bundled up and dried in hay - in its fresh form, cattle won't eat it.

    I love your photos of caterpillars!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kate16 July 2009 at 05:47

    Some facts about ragwort here: http://www.ragwortfacts.com/ragwort-myths.html

    ReplyDelete
  3. Richard18 July 2009 at 01:54

    Hi Kate,

    Thanks for the link, very interesting, I've put it in the main blog entry.

    ReplyDelete

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