Ragwort
Jacobaea vulgaris
Ragwort is a tall, bright-yellow composite flower well known both for its importance to certain insects (particularly the cinnabar moth) and its toxicity to livestock (particularly when cut and dried with hay crops where it goes unnoticed by the livestock). Each plant can produce masses of daisy-like flower heads atop sturdy, branching stems.
- Habitat: Fields, grassland, coastal margins, and disturbed ground.
- When to See: Blooms from early summer to autumn.
- Length: Stems often 30–80 cm tall, occasionally taller.