Please would you all check your lawns for ragwort, I know it is a time
consuming job but it is a bad year for the nasty weed. I have some small
amounts in my paddock but I have never had it on my lawn before.
I have lost one horse this year - not thro ragwort - and I dont want to
lose another so I say again please check every where

many thanks
kate

"Kate Morgan" wrote in message

Please would you all check your lawns for ragwort, I know it is a time
consuming job but it is a bad year for the nasty weed.

Snip

I trust that you do not use broad band insecticides.

One explanation for the increase in ragwort is most likely the reduction in
the tiger moth population for their caterpillars eat the weed and I've seen
a patch of ragwort plants stripped of their foliage in less than a day. No
grazing animal would think of eating it then for the smell of the
caterpillars' faeces would put them off!.

I hope that some ragwort is left for the moths.

Ron

Please would you all check your lawns for ragwort, I know it is a time

I hope that some ragwort is left for the moths.

Ron

No Ron, I will remove every bit of ragwort that I can. Risk killing my
pony, I dont think so.

kate

I'ts the beautiful Cinnabar Moth (not the Garden Tiger) whose
caterpillars feed on Ragwort.

Ragwort is the national flower of the Isle of Man.

Cattle and Horses do not eat Ragwort - they eat round it - the danger lies
in modern agricultural methods where the (very toxic) plant is cut and dried
and either silaged or bailed with grass and then fed to the animals.

The Caterpillars of the Cinnabar moth are toxic too. They - like the plant
contain Cyanide.

We don't kill Foxgloves which are just as dangerous - but because these
don't grow on pastureland (they tend to be hedge bottom plants) they don't
get mixed in with the hay.

If we eradicate Ragwort - then we lose one of our most attractive day-flying
moths.

Let's use some common sense

Graham Dixon

On Sat, 16 Aug 2003 11:50:59 +0100, "Ron"
wrote:


"Kate Morgan" wrote in message

Please would you all check your lawns for ragwort, I know it is a time
consuming job but it is a bad year for the nasty weed.

Snip

I trust that you do not use broad band insecticides.

One explanation for the increase in ragwort is most likely the reduction in
the tiger moth population for their caterpillars eat the weed and I've seen
a patch of ragwort plants stripped of their foliage in less than a day. No
grazing animal would think of eating it then for the smell of the
caterpillars' faeces would put them off!.

I hope that some ragwort is left for the moths.


No shortage of Cinnabar moths in my garden!
I have a couple of patches of very dismal looking ragwort which are
infested with the bright orange and black striped caterpillars - they
really go to town on the plant.

I remove the flower heads as they form - this prevents the ragwort
from seeding ( which is generally agreed to be 'a bad thing' ), and I
rip the whole plant up, or what's left of it, when the caterpillars
have finished with it.

OK, so it's a bit more hassle than a 'nuke on sight' policy - but one
that helps to retain a nice balance ( at least in my garden ).

Regards,



--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{whoisat}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk

Ron wrote in message
...

"Kate Morgan" wrote in message

Please would you all check your lawns for ragwort, I know it is a time
consuming job but it is a bad year for the nasty weed.

Snip

I trust that you do not use broad band insecticides.

One explanation for the increase in ragwort is most likely the reduction
in
the tiger moth population for their caterpillars eat the weed and I've
seen
a patch of ragwort plants stripped of their foliage in less than a day.
No
grazing animal would think of eating it then for the smell of the
caterpillars' faeces would put them off!.

I hope that some ragwort is left for the moths.

Ron

I try and pull it up wherever I see it but it's so widespread, you wouldn't
think it was illegal to allow it to grow

Kate Morgan wrote:
Please would you all check your lawns for ragwort, I know it is a
time consuming job but it is a bad year for the nasty weed. I have
some small amounts in my paddock but I have never had it on my lawn
before.
I have lost one horse this year - not thro ragwort - and I dont want
to lose another so I say again please check every where

many thanks
kate

Robert The Devil's Advocate www.pafc.co.uk

I will clear mine as soon as I see it as my brother has a horse and I know
how you feel Kate

THE LAW
As ragwort is an injurious weed it is specified in the Weeds Act 1959. The
DEFRA has powers to serve clearance notices but will only do so where
agricultural production is directly affected. On roadside verges and waste
land, local authorities should have be contacted. Difficulties occur on
other types of land in regard to enforcement. The horse owner has a very
clear duty to protect his stock from what can only be described as a
horrible and unnecessary death.



Kate Morgan wrote:
Please would you all check your lawns for ragwort, I know it is a
time consuming job but it is a bad year for the nasty weed. I have
some small amounts in my paddock but I have never had it on my lawn
before.
I have lost one horse this year - not thro ragwort - and I dont want
to lose another so I say again please check every where

many thanks
kate

Robert The Devil's Advocate www.pafc.co.uk

On Sat, 16 Aug 2003 12:45:08 +0000 (UTC), "The Devil's Advocate"
wrote:

I will clear mine as soon as I see it as my brother has a horse and I know
how you feel Kate

THE LAW
As ragwort is an injurious weed it is specified in the Weeds Act 1959. The
DEFRA has powers to serve clearance notices but will only do so where
agricultural production is directly affected. On roadside verges and waste
land, local authorities should have be contacted. Difficulties occur on
other types of land in regard to enforcement. The horse owner has a very
clear duty to protect his stock from what can only be described as a
horrible and unnecessary death.

Do you call that a law?
--
Martin

well it's the nearest I could find?

martin wrote:
On Sat, 16 Aug 2003 12:45:08 +0000 (UTC), "The Devil's Advocate"
wrote:

I will clear mine as soon as I see it as my brother has a horse and
I know how you feel Kate

THE LAW
As ragwort is an injurious weed it is specified in the Weeds Act
1959. The DEFRA has powers to serve clearance notices but will only
do so where agricultural production is directly affected. On
roadside verges and waste land, local authorities should have be
contacted. Difficulties occur on other types of land in regard to
enforcement. The horse owner has a very clear duty to protect his
stock from what can only be described as a horrible and unnecessary
death.

Do you call that a law?
--
Martin

Robert The Devil's Advocate www.pafc.co.uk

On Sat, 16 Aug 2003 13:02:24 +0000 (UTC), "The Devil's Advocate"
wrote:

well it's the nearest I could find?

I don't blame you. I blame the ones that wrote it
--
Martin

I will clear mine as soon as I see it as my brother has a horse and I know
how you feel Kate


Many thanks for that :-)
kate

On Sat, 16 Aug 2003 11:50:59 +0100, Ron wrote:

I trust that you do not use broad band insecticides.

Never seen anything eating the Ragwort up here, but then maybe we are
to exposed/cold for Tiger Moths.

At least Ragwort is easy to pull up, unlike other things like
Thistles. Disposal can be problem, the damn stuff can still set seed
after being up rooted. We bung ours into the council garden waste bin.

No grazing animal would think of eating it then for the smell of the
caterpillars' faeces would put them off!.

I didn't think animals ate it when green anyway. The danger being when
it gets into Hay and they don't notice it.

I hope that some ragwort is left for the moths.

Even though we do the verges and our land there is still plenty about.
Just look at the verges of almost any major road...

--
Cheers
Dave. pam is missing e-mail

In message , martin
writes
THE LAW
As ragwort is an injurious weed it is specified in the Weeds Act 1959. The
DEFRA has powers to serve clearance notices but will only do so where
agricultural production is directly affected. On roadside verges and waste
land, local authorities should have be contacted. Difficulties occur on
other types of land in regard to enforcement. The horse owner has a very
clear duty to protect his stock from what can only be described as a
horrible and unnecessary death.

Do you call that a law?

Suggest that anyone really interested looks at the public consultation
document on ragwort at

http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/co...ragwortcop.pdf
*it is a large pdf file and may take some time to download*
--
Robert

...... It's the beautiful Cinnabar Moth (not the Garden Tiger) whose
caterpillars feed on Ragwort ............"

There are 86 different creatures that use ragwort as a food plant, Cinnabar
moths were late this year, but are now feeding well.

Apparently its the flowers and seed that are the most poisonous, (about 5
times as much as the leaf) but a lot of insects use the flowers as a food
plant.

--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk