Editor,
Some 40 years ago, when we first moved here, a county official came by and told me, "You have tansy ragwort growing in your field. You have to get rid of it or you can be fined."
He was very courteous, showed me the plant and we pulled it up.
We are not as rural a community now as we were then. But tansy ragwort is still an invasive species. It's a cumulative poison for cattle and horses, meaning if they eat some this year, eat some next year, it builds up and does liver damage. And eventually death.
I now see tansy ragwort growing along state routes 702 and 507. Some of the patches are very large, and they are in flower. Once they go to seed, the wind can carry them into pastures and hay fields, to spread.
You should wear gloves to pull up the plants, as the sap can be an irritant. If there are flowers, put the plants in a plastic bag and tie it shut. Even after you pull it up, the plants have enough vitality for the flowers to become seeds.
The flowers look like little clusters of yellow daisies with yellow centers. A quick online search will turn up photos of them.
I don't have horses, cows or sheep. But I respect my neighbors who do and have no desire to see animals have a painful death.
Please check your road fronts and fields for tansy ragwort. Pull it up and bag it. Thank you.
Megan Lindholm
Roy
