Bigjon wrote:

In a fit of excitement David Hill uttered:

Ragwort. Bin as soon as possible.

Thanks. I checked out a few more pictures here and there, and decided you
are right, It's ragwort.

What's so wrong with it - the flowers look pretty !
--
\\(º`¿´º)//

Before anyone decides that I am talking nonsense and flames me for what
I am about to say. I have researched this matter very thoroughly and I
have a whole stack of scientific data to back up what I am saying.

What is wrong with it? Actually not a great deal in a garden situation.
It is a _mildly_ toxic plant but
there are far far more toxic plants grown in gardens. I have caster oil
plants ready to go out and they contain Ricin!. The fuss is all about
it being an occasional cause of cattle and horse deaths. Various figures
are bandied about claiming it causes huge numbers of deaths. However,
definitive diagnosis of ragwort poisoning is not an easy task. If you
look in the veterinary journals one of the criterion is is the plant's
presence, which given the problem being liver failure is not exacly
proof positive.
The actual figures where research has been done show that it takes
several stone of the plant to kill a large animal, so the real problem
is with the plant growing in abundance in pastures. i.e. people not
looking after their animals properly. (There is an example in the
scientific literature of a horse being fed in excess
of 20% of its body weight of _dried_ (therefore more concentrated)
ragwort and _surviving_!)

When you actually look at what people think about Ragwort toxicity there
is a lot of hysteria. Several websites claim that it is possible for
horses to be poisoned by breathing in the seeds. This is laughable,
given the actual level of toxicity.

There are also a lot of claims that the plant is invasive and that the
seeds spread easily. This isn't particularly true either.

Yes, the flowers are pretty . It is a composite and many of our nicest
garden plants belong to this family.
Cinereas are close relatives, often classified in the same Senecio
genus. I have been toying with the idea of growing a little Oxford
Ragwort, a relative originally from Sicily that is a very common weed. I
am looking for an early nectar source for an indoor butterfly house,
and it might fit the bill.

--
Neil Jones- http://www.butterflyguy.com/
"At some point I had to stand up and be counted. Who speaks for the
butterflies?" Andrew Lees - The quotation on his memorial at Crymlyn Bog
National Nature Reserve