Ragwort - two questions

[Gingerwitch]

I was just putting a load of flowering ragwort on the fire tonight and one of the girls said "no point doing that now its too late" ? I said what do you mean - and i was told that once the flowers start to open its too late to stop the seeding happening and i may as well have left it where it is.

Is this true - and if so, surely its best still to get it out of the pasture isnt it?

And i do feel rather guilty about all the poor yellow and black catterpillars that have been cremeated tonight.... please someone tell me what they are..... I just hope they are something nasty and not something beautiful like butterflies.

Cheers

GW

 

[Dolcé]

Firstly, if the flowers have just opened then they haven't gone to seed, the flowers die off and then the seeds ripen.

The caterpillars are those of the Cinnabar Moth, the only natural predator of the ragwort plant!

 

[welshied]

You still need to take the ragwort out even if it is in flower as it poses a threat when it dies and give off a sweet smell which can attract your horse to eat it, i assume that the person meant once it is in flower the seeds will proberbly have been spread naturally by birds etc so you will have prob have more ragwort next year!

 

[Dobiegirl]

Ragwort is classed as a injurious weed by Defra I believe so you did well to pull it, hope you wore gloves, burning it is best.

The caterpillars are the Cinnabar Moth.

 

[Gingerwitch]

~Right thank you..... what should i be doing with said catterpillars....? leave them to eat the ragwort plant and just dig up the ones without the catterpillars? cross plant them onto some HUGE bits of ragwort in the local councils hedgerow or send them to meet their maker a little earlier than planned?

I feel really guilty now

 

[Dry Rot]

Just to clarify one point, if you pull flowering plants and leave them exposed, I think the seed can still set and spread the weed. Maybe that's what the person meant? So pull it and bag it, then off to the recycling centre (where hopefully they will bury or compost it!).

 

[*hic*]

You still need to take the ragwort out even if it is in flower as it poses a threat when it dies and give off a sweet smell which can attract your horse to eat it, i assume that the person meant once it is in flower the seeds will proberbly have been spread naturally by birds etc so you will have prob have more ragwort next year!

Not until the petals have died and the seeds have ripened.


You do need to take it out as although the damned stuff is a biennial sometimes it will go for a third or fourth year and if not it will produce plantlets round it which will flower, set seed and spread.

 

[Gingerwitch]

DryRot - i dont think you are supposed to send ragwort anywhere but the nearest bonfire

 

[Dolcé]

~Right thank you..... what should i be doing with said catterpillars....? leave them to eat the ragwort plant and just dig up the ones without the catterpillars? cross plant them onto some HUGE bits of ragwort in the local councils hedgerow or send them to meet their maker a little earlier than planned?

I feel really guilty now

Pull the plants regardless, it still poses a threat if you have animals on the land, if you can be bothered then it would be a brilliant idea to move them to plants on council land. I had some in a tank once, they are lovely but the moth is just a very plain brown.

 

[neen]

I had some in a tank once, they are lovely but the moth is just a very plain brown.

The ones I have seen were black with beautiful red flashes -- I wonder if growing up in a tank made them turn brown?

They are very pretty, I just wish they'd eat a bit more a bit faster!

 

[Gingerwitch]

Urm....... I now will be taking a tub with me for saving the catterpillars - do you think i will look a pratt stopping on the A5 in cannock tipping them on to the tree like ragwort?... just hope the passing trucks wont think ime a prozzie !

 

[Dolcé]

The ones I have seen were black with beautiful red flashes -- I wonder if growing up in a tank made them turn brown?

They are very pretty, I just wish they'd eat a bit more a bit faster!

LOL, the ones in the tank didn't get to be moths (and I think I am fit to keep horses, I can't even keep caterpillars alive!)! I have just looked them up and the cinnabar moth is definitely black and red so the boring brown ones I've seen were obviously not them. Apparently the caterpillars can turn cannibal because they eat all the ragwort and get hungry! They are obviously talking about in countries that don't have our ragwort problem!!