The Knepp Wilding Podcast The Plant People Love to Hate
Aug 22, 2025
In this discussion, Mick Crawley, an Emeritus Professor of Plant Ecology, tackles the notorious ragwort. With summer's bounty of this misunderstood wildflower, he reveals its true nature as a crucial player in ecosystems. The conversation dispels myths about its toxicity, emphasizing its benefits to insects and wildlife. Additionally, Crawley examines societal perceptions influenced by farming culture and offers insights on how attempts to eradicate ragwort might actually aid its spread. Ultimately, he advocates for a narrative shift to embrace ragwort's ecological importance.
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Three-Part Life Cycle Explains Persistence
- Ragwort life cycle has three key stages: seeds, rosettes, and flowering stems.
- Seeds can persist decades while rosettes become next year's flowers and flowering stems set seed and die.
Flowers Feed Many Species Late Into Season
- Ragwort supports dozens of invertebrates mainly via its flowers, not just by being eaten.
- Its late flowering provides crucial nectar when few other plants bloom.
Toxicity Is Real But Mortality Is Negligible
- Ragwort can cause liver damage if dried into hay, but real-world horse deaths from ragwort are extremely rare.
- There is no substantial data attributing a meaningful percentage of horse mortality to ragwort.
