tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615986.post111929699912230526..comments2023-09-23T12:27:48.199+01:00Comments on John Clare Weblog: The RagwortUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615986.post-63765001595410602802020-04-22T13:12:17.812+01:002020-04-22T13:12:17.812+01:00This ia a wonderful poem. Being a fantastic and a...This ia a wonderful poem. Being a fantastic and accurate observer of nature, Clare really appreciated the beauty and value of 'weeds', writing many times about thistles and dandlelions.<br /><br />DEFRA estimate that Jacobea Vulgaris (Common Ragwort) supports 200 invertebrates, of which 30 are entirely dependent on it as their foodplant. Only this one species of thw 19 UK species of Ragwort found in the UK contains the Alkaloids harmful to horses; the greatest threat to horses is when ragwort is inadvertantly crop in a hay crop and feed as dried hay, making it harder for the horses to differentiate.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615986.post-1119616939290410762005-06-24T13:42:00.000+01:002005-06-24T13:42:00.000+01:00Ragwort contains alkaloids poisonous to horses, ca...Ragwort contains alkaloids poisonous to horses, cattle, sheep, deer and hare. It is difficult to eradicate and potentially fatal, being a cumulative poison which destroys the liver. Little can be done for an animal once toxic symptoms appear. This may not have been fully appreciated in Clare's day but it is now. <BR/>See:http://www.defra.gov.uk/environ/weedsact/default.htmAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com