7h (edited) • Nature
Bonus Free July Folklore Post - Introducting Ragwort
OK Ragwort - tell everyone in the skool a little about yourself.
BTW - old Raggy here has a question for you at the bottom.
🌼 Ragwort: The Plant Everyone Loves to Hate
Poor old ragwort.
Bright yellow, impossible to ignore at this time of year, and accused of being the villain of every field it dares to grow in. Or in my case, all over my garden.
If plants had PR agencies, ragwort would definitely be suing for defamation.
Yes, it's poisonous to livestock if eaten in quantity, particularly when dried into hay. But left alone in the wild, horses and cattle generally avoid it because they tend to instinctively know what's good for them.
Humans, on the other hand, have a remarkable talent for ignoring instinct and then acting surprised by the consequences. Working in a pub for a number of years has validated that for me countless times over.
What most people don't realise is that ragwort is one of the most important plants for insects. More than 170 species use it, and for the Cinnabar moth, it's everything. Without ragwort, there is no Cinnabar caterpillar. Nature, as ever, is playing a far cleverer game than we are. I've only ever seen that particular moth a handful of times. And it's spectacular!
Folklore wasn't overly keen on ragwort either. In parts of Britain it was associated with witches, spirits and the fae. Some believed bringing it into the house invited bad luck. Others called it St James's Wort because it flowers around St James's Day at the end of July, when summer is beginning its slow turn towards autumn.
Personally, I really like that. Not the bad luck bit. The reminder. July always feels endless until, all of a sudden, the blackberries start forming, swallows gather on the wires and you find yourself secretly yearning for night time temperatures that allow a nice snuggly duvet.
Ragwort stands there like a little yellow marker saying, "Nothing stays still forever."
Which is probably why I like it. That, and its vibrant yellow flowers.
It's the things that are misunderstood that often turn out to be the things holding the whole ecosystem together.
People included.
I've spent far too many years trying to become more polished, more sensible, more productive and more like everyone else seemed to think I should be.
Turns out, I'm much happier wandering down a footpath looking at weeds than pretending another productivity hack is going to change my life.
Funny that.
So here's something to think about this week.
Where are you judging yourself because someone else told you that part of you was inconvenient?
The bit that likes solitude.
The bit that asks awkward questions.
The bit that would rather watch dragonflies than spend time optimising a morning routine.
The bit of you that would like to gag your kids and/or partner for half an hour.
The bit of you that wants to eat the whole tub of ice cream just because.
Maybe that bit of you is not the problem.
Maybe that's the bit keeping your own little ecosystem alive.
Ragwort doesn't apologise for being ragwort.
Neither should you.
So again, tell me below, where are you judging yourself because someone else told you that part of you was inconvenient?
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Bonus Free July Folklore Post - Introducting Ragwort
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