| Archive for The Brittany Forum For all friends of the versatile Brittany |
| eddieh |
FeverfewCould somebody confirm that feverfew is not poisonous to dogs. We have loads of the stuff in the garden and Remi is showing an interest in it.I'm assuming that the common ragwort I've just pulled up, is. |
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| Ghilliegumdrop |
Well it's not poisonous to people because it's used to cure migraines etc........and is used for dogs to relieve stomach ache etc caused by coming into season  Ragwort is poisonous to horses, dogs, pigs, cows and other animals, including humans.
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| eddieh |
Thanks Jan. I knew that it is used medicinally for humans but it often seems that one mammal's meat is another mammal's poison
Why is it that only domesticated animals are too stupid to avoid the stuff? Having said that, I have been told that cattle and horses will avoid the stuff unless they are desperate. I was a bit annoyed by Redwings going on about a horse which was very ill after eating ragwort. The fact that it had been left with no food in a field full of ragwort, and only ate the ragwort because there was nothing else, didn't figure too prominently in their rant 
One more charity crossed off the list |
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| Ghilliegumdrop |
I went onto the chat thing and you came off 
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| eddieh |
Sorry Jan.
Lynda might be on there in a minute. I'm about to do my chores |
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| Victoria |
Ragwort is toxic to animals once it has flowered. Heavy stocking with ewes (i.e sheep that whose meat will not be consumed shortterm) when the leaves emerge will control this plant. The Cinnabar and Magpie moths are both biological controls used in this country; dare I say it, not with resounding success. Pulling of the plants with root matter attached prior to seeding is the most successful eradication of mature plants in our experience. | ||||
| Annie as admin |
That's what we have alwasy dopne with Tansy (ragwort) and it is definitely successfull. We totally eradicated it from our fields. But I tought we were asking about feverfew? | ||||
| Victoria |
Ragwort is distinguished from Feverfew easily as it has yellow flowers while feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) has white flowers with a yellow center. Dog will roll on Dog Daisy (with the same flower colouring) which is also one of the Tanacetum family...you might call it something different over there. I would be cautious using feverfew for dogs...unless you wanted to use a decoction of the leaves as a mild disinfectant in the kennels. 
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| eddieh |
Hello Victoria
We've always had Feverfew in the garden, it's just that I'd never questioned the advisability of having it when there are dogs around but thought that it was not safe to assume that it is safe for dogs because it is not poisonous to humans and Remi seemed to be showing an interest in it. I've never discouraged the odd bit of Ragwort in the past as I like to see Cinnabar moths in the garden but they have been absent for some time now. Don't worry. I've never had any problem distinguishing between the two. I just mentioned them in the same post as I noticed the Ragwort as I was looking at the Feverfew |
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| Victoria |
Eddie, ragwort was bought out here as a garden plant...it is a shame that it is now considered a noxious plant as I find it pretty...Remi is a lovely name! | ||||
| Annie as admin |
In Scotland it is known as Tansy and hated by every animal lover I know, particularly horses and ponies. | ||||
| eddieh |
I've always been a bit suspicious of the intensity of the argument in favour of ripping out every last bit of ragwort from the ground and am convinced that somebody is not being entirely honest in their argument, but has tried(successfully it seems) to prejudice peoples minds against the plant.
How these stack up against the popular view, I don't know, but I think they are well worth a read http://www.ragwortfacts.com/ragwort-horse-deaths.html http://www.buglife.org.uk/conserv...rtyellowperilorpreciousflower.htm
Lynda thought of the name having remembered me talking of a technical trainer from the Alcatel training centre in Brest ( used to work for them but now work for one of their dealers in the UK). I thought we might be able to poke a little friendly fun at Remi who is a really nice bloke and I'm sure would not mind. |
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| Annie as admin |
The first report said this "how many horses die of ragwort poisoning. However there is sufficient research available to show that the figure is probably not very high. ."
This is not really relevant - horses do not normally eat Tansy as it is very bitter, so if they have plenty of grass or other foodstuffs they won't normally touch it. However, I heard of one pony which was left in a field of virtually ALL tansy whcih had nothing else to eat and it died. I have heard of other which were fed hay from a field that had a lot of Tansy in it - once it is dry like the hay it loses its bitterness. Horses which have succombed and do not die are left with very damaged livers. That is why it is hated. Annie |
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| Annie as admin |
The other report said this "At least 30 insect species (and 14 fungi species) are entirely reliant on Ragwort"
I would rather lose a million insects than one horse! |
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| eddieh |
I'm not saying that you should pretend the stuff isn't there and not try to stop it spreading to areas where animals are feeding, but the way many websites go on you'd think it was the Sun writing about paedophiles. There are other poisonous plants but none get the same press
It is possible that the story you heard about the pony in a field full of ragwort may have been the same one I read on the Redwings website. Personally, I feel that this is more a story about neglect by the owner. Possibly, it could have been a field full of another poisonous plant or polluted water (or no water!) and the outcome would have been the same. With regard to the insect issue. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that the demise of a few species could drastically change our world. Maybe then there would be nobody to own the horses that no longer exist. Ok. That might be a bit extreme but no species is an island. 
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| Annie as admin |
I don't care - I HATE midgies! They eat me 
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| eddieh |
You should be more careful about where you choose to live then 
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| Ghilliegumdrop |
That should solve the weight problem then
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| Annie as admin |
I don't have a weight problem - I am losing weight by walking my dogs instead of letting them run free in a field.  Which reminds me ............................ Byeeee .......................
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| Ghilliegumdrop |
So......changing your name to 'Twiggy' are you 
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| Victoria |
The plant is deemed a noxious weed here not because of any proported toxicity but simply because it spreads so wildly and therefore reducing pasture etc like blackberry, gorse and others. The fact that a horse died in a field with heaps of the plant is probably like so many cases of agistment is that the pasture becomes 'horse sick' where there are no other species to balance internal parasites etc. | ||||
| eddieh |
Annie. Out of interest. If you refer to ragwort as tansy, what do you call tansy? I'm sure tansy grows most places in the UK so I would assume you've come across it. | ||||
| Annie as admin |
Not with you, Eddie? Tansy is the Scottish name for Ragwort. I don't know of any other plant with the name Tansy.
Can you get pictures of both to clarify please - might be helpful for others. Annie |
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| eddieh |
Ragwort
http://images.google.co.uk/imgres...n-US:official%26hs%3DlK6%26sa%3DG Tansy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tansy With regard to tansy, it is interesting to note the comments on toxicity and culinary uses, I found it hard to find a good pic of tansy, as common ragwort seems to be known as tansy ragwort in some places. I'll see if I can find some to photograph. I go past an area on the way to work where both are growing but feel that getting to them across the off slip from the A1 at Newark is likely to be more injurious to my health than any plant could ever be. |
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| Annie as admin |
Your Common Ragwort is what we call Tansy
Your Tansy is what we call Yellow Aster We're 'different' up here - just before SOMEONE ELSE says it 
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| johnhod |
Anyone going to argue with that statement
My money's on NOoooooooooooo |
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| johnhod |
Anyone going to argue with that statement
My money's on NOoooooooooooo |
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| Annie as admin |
OKAY OKAY - once is enuff!
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| Ghilliegumdrop |
Never mind different..........b....y peculier is what comes to mind
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| The Plum |
Oi Watch it you Confucious he say " Scotland is very good country but have very bad neighbour !" 
The Plum |
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| eddieh |
When you took our throne, it would have been nice if you took our language too
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| The Plum |
James 1st of England was a total plonker. He shouldn't have deserted Scotland as he did. His children paid the price for that and for his belief in the "divine right of kings."
People forget when they go around blowing bagpipes that many of those who fought against Bonny Prince Charlie were in fact his fellow Scots ! Poor lad - he put too much trust in "the Auld Alliance " with France but they didn't turn up for the fight. Language is a funny thing and Scotland has about 4 of them. English as she is wont to be spoken by you lot. English, Scots mixed like wot I speak. The Gaelic and the Doric. The last of these is often forgotten about but many communities up Scotlands N.E. coastline and inland too speak it among themselves. The way I speak is a mixture of Doric and of English. In a sense I speak more than one language. Unless I make an effort to write in that way my writing is English but if for example Annie and I were to write in Auld Scots - Doric we would only partially be understood. It would be like you writing in the style of Chaucer. Sorry  I've rambled on ! Must be the lack of whisky !
The Plum. |
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| Ghilliegumdrop |
According to my French teacher about 70% of the words in the English language are french....dates from the time of William the Conk Then there's the german type stuff from the vikings and the other lot what tried to take over at various times.....soooo I reckon we all speak around 10 bits of languages not counting regional variations
Coming from Brum, as I do, if I spoke proper like what they do up there, you probaly won't understand me either
Persons in the know say that in Chaucers time everyone spoke a type of Brummie
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| The Plum |
So-o-o-o,   The English are all really just sorta mongrels from Birmingham ??? I find nothing to disagree with there !
The Plum. |
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| Ghilliegumdrop |
Well, there's a lot there now [not the ones that come on here, before anyone gets their knickers in a twist] so it must produce a diverse selection.It's what's known as hybrid vigor
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| The Plum |
Well if its got that I wish I was from Brum too !
The Plum |
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| Ghilliegumdrop |
Changed a lot since I was a child Bill.........there's an awful lot of colour there now Not just the bomb sites either
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