Ragwort in wild lawn - stay or go?

Beebop164

Good evening,

We have a wildlife lawn, it's in its third year. Lots of buttercups, vetch, daisy's, white clover and speedwell.  This year I have added birds foot trefoil and self heal.

It's a very shaded lawn - (it was mainly moss before we stopped mowing it) thanks to being north facing and having large oak trees on each side.

I have spotted what I think is going to be Ragwort. Is this something I should encourage or should I dig them out? 

Also: when would people recommend mowing? It's starting to look very flat and bedraggled, I was considering maybe strimming the areas which are just grass to around a foot? 

Thank you 

Fire

Ragwort is an important plant for supporting over 30 species of insect.

rachelQrtJHBjb

Assuming you are not adjacent to agricultural land I would say keep the ragwort at this stage and hope to see the caterpillars of the cinnabar moth devouring it. Then, pull it up and burn it before it sets seed. Don't compost it - the seeds can still mature on the plant after it's been pulled.

Fire

Knepp grow it on their agricultural land and graze animals on fields where it grows, with no problems.

The anxieties have historically been overstated.

robairdmacraignil

I have heard that the problem with toxicity to grazers is only important when it gets put into silage as animals will naturally avoid eating it otherwise. I think it is controlled by legislation here so remove it from my own garden and nearby fields and hedges as there are fields used to make silage not that far away. It has wind dispersed seed so I have to remove some most years.

Jellyfire

If you dont keep livestock on the field then no reason to pull it up. Its great for pollinators, and you will very likely get beautiful cinnabar moths on your little meadow. They fly in the daytime and are pretty glamourous!

Beebop164

Jellyfire said:

If you dont keep livestock on the field then no reason to pull it up. Its great for pollinators, and you will very likely get beautiful cinnabar moths on your little meadow. They fly in the daytime and are pretty glamourous!

Not near live stock so I shall let them be. I googled the cinnabar moth and will be absolutely delighted if those beautiful creatures turn up!

Thanks for the responses