Cornerstone Species for Smaller-Scale Rewilding - Let's Start with the Ragwort!
How the lowly ragwort packs such a biodoversity rich punch!
According to a report just out by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) human activity is continuing to drive a 'catastrophic' loss of species. Its recently released The Living Planet Report , a comprehensive overview of the state of the natural world, reveals global wildlife populations have shrunk by an average of 73% in the past 50 years. It seems we are on a path to nowhere.
But, there is something each of us can do about it. Over the next few months, we will outline cornerstone species for smaller-scale rewilding that we can establish in our gardens and small green spaces.We will look at mini-habitats, cornerstone plants and the cornerstone creatures they can attract. After all, if you create it, they will come.
There's nothing like a bit of controversy to get the blood flowing, so we thought we would start with 'the ragwort'.
Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) is often seen as a weed, but it plays a critical role in supporting biodiversity, particularly for butterflies and other pollinators. As butterfly populations in the UK have significantly declined in recent years, with the Butterfly Conservation reporting that 76% of the UK’s resident and regular migrant butterfly species have decreased in abundance or distribution since 1976, plants like ragwort have become increasingly important.
Ragwort is an essential food source for a wide range of insects, especially butterflies and moths. It supports over 30 species of butterfly, bee, beetle, other insects and fungi, including the daisy carpenter bee and the cinnabar moth, whose larvae feed exclusively on the plant.
Ragwort's vibrant yellow flowers bloom from June to November, providing a late-season nectar source for butterflies like the small tortoiseshell and peacock. Given the pressures faced by butterflies, including habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change, ragwort provides a critical refuge and food supply, helping to bolster butterfly populations.
Despite its value to wildlife, ragwort is often maligned because it can be toxic to livestock if consumed in large quantities. However, when managed correctly in areas where grazing doesn't occur or in wilder lands, it is a valuable component of rewilding efforts. Rewilding focuses on restoring natural habitats and processes, and ragwort contributes to this by promoting biodiversity. It thrives in disturbed areas and poor soils, making it a vital plant for recovering ecosystems.
In LettsSafari parks ragwort is dotted around as the wild grazers eat some and leave others, so reducing the existence of clumps of the plant. It can also be found in more neglected corners, often surrounded by other wild plants and scrub.
And if we dig a bit deeper we start to realise why ragwort can be an inspiring cornerstone species in our journey to the 'wild':
1. Medicinal Properties
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