Photographs: Co. Cork

Common Ragwort Jacobaea vulgaris (Senecio jacobaea) Buachalán buí Family: Asteraceae Flowering time: June-October. Biennial. Native. Bright yellow flower heads in dense corymb, the flowers ith numerous ray florets. Deeply-pinnate basal and stem leaves with toothed segments. Leafy stems. A hairless or slightly woolly plant. The fresh plant contains poisonous alkaloids which are avoided by grazing animals. Important food source for caterpillars of Cinnabar Moth (below). Height 30-140cm. Very common on grassland, waste ground, roadsides and dunes. Similar: Marsh Ragwort, Jacobaea aquaticus

Ragwort, Jacobaea vulgaris (Senecio jacobaea), Buachalán buí