Ragwort

I've been out in the fields this morning looking for rosettes of Ragwort. It's a weed that is poisonous to animals and humans. Most animals tend to stay away from it, but should they eat it, it could kill them. We've never had ragwort before but this year its popping up all over the place. I'm sure its coming from a field that is next to ours and is wooded. Ragwort has a tap root a bit like a Dandelion and forms a clump of tightly packed leaves, the sap is an irritant and can cause cancer. You need to get it all out of the ground, before it flowers, because the seeds blow on the wind for miles. I brought a nifty little tool from Lidl of all places and its brilliant, it gets right down the side of the root, you then turn the whole thing and pull, up comes the Ragwort root and all. Got to say its tough on the back, but it has to be done. Managed to clear 2 of the paddocks, although the ponies kept getting in the way, trying to see what I was doing, especially Katie who is not sure whether she is a horse or a dog. We used to let Katie into the garden and she would play with Merlin our Newfie and has picked up some strange habits, like leaning on you, and constantly wanting to play. She's a super pony with a lovely temperament, but I could have done without all the attention today.