As I mentioned in yesterday's post (http://punkrockecology.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/some-photos-of-chalk-downland-flowers.html), we've been on a bit of species-rich chalk downland this week. Specifically,pulling up ragwort at Bradbury Rings an iron age hill fort managed by the National Trust.
Ragwort pulling is a conservation favourite. Basically, in the highly unlikely even that you have nothing else to do, you go and pull up some ragwort. Not only is it poisonous to livestock but, if you leave it to it's own devices, it will fill the entire field. There are various ways to get rid of it but the traditional favourite is to just yank it out by hand and this is what we found ourselves doing.
We parked ourselves in the field, with my poor, long suffering, little car finding it's way up a very rutted track. Then, while I was out pulling ragwort, the herd of Gloucester cows that we were sharing the field with wandered over to investigate. I returned at the end of the day to discover that the car was covered in lick marks, having been given a very thorough wash.
More on ragwort: https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=299
The spread of the 'bad' ragwort - invasive non-native Oxford ragwort (Scenencio squalidus) - after it's introduction to a botanical garden in Oxford in 1690. http://www.bristol.ac.uk/biology/research/ecological/genetics/plantgenetics/oxfordragwortstory.html
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