Ragwort
We keep seeing ragwort being pulled up by people who may not fully understand the role of the plant. Many of us have been taught that ragwort is bad, but if we are going to have wildflower areas and promote insects, we need to reconsider this plant.
Ragwort is native and is one of the most sustaining hosts to insects that we have: 7 species of beetle; 12 species of flies; one macro-moth, the cinnabar with its distinctive black and yellow rugby jersey caterpillars; and 7 micro-moths feed exclusively on common ragwort. Without ragwort in Boston Spa, a total of 27 insects will all go locally extinct.
It is also a major source of nectar for at least 30 species of solitary bees,18 species of solitary wasps and 50 insect parasites. In all, 177 species rely on common ragwort as a source of nectar pollen or food. When most of the other flowers have died, ragwort continues on into late summer providing a vital source of nectar or pollen.
-
Common Drone Fly -
Patchwork Leaf-cutter Bee -
Cinnabar Caterpillar -
Cinnabar Moth -
Empis Livida -
Fly -
Mayfly -
Marmalade Hover Fly -
Red Spotted Parasite Fly -
Common Nettle Flower Bug -
Buff-tailed Bumble Bee -
Erigone Spider -
Soldier Beetle
But it is Poisonous!
Yes, as a safe guard it tastes and smells bad, but it is only fatal to livestock if they eat a lot of it and they will avoid it unless no other food is available or if it is part of a hay harvest so they cannot avoid it. There are many other plants that we consider OK but are more poisonous eg.:
- Daffodils
- Foxgloves
- Ivy
- Black and white bryony
- Alder
- Spindle
- Yew
Ragwort contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids which are also found in Comfrey and Butterbur. See the English Ragwort website or Buglife.
What makes the little patches of bubbles from inside the flower heads? Like a small version of a frog-hopper bubble-mass
Many thanks for your enquiry. Unfortunately, I don’t know. I’ve just been out to look at some ragwort and couldn’t see anything that resemble bubbles that you mention unless you mean the seed head? You could email me at wildlife @bostongreengroup.co.uk if you’d like to chat or meet about them.
I did see a good number of cinnabar moth larvae chomping away at the ragwort which hopefully will hatch into a lovely cinnabar moths.
Mike