Ragwort alkaloids

Orange and black striped caterpillars of the Cinnabar Moth, on wild yellow ragwort flowers

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Pyrrolizidine alkaloids from Ragworts and other plants are popular with pollinators but a potent poison to livestock, as Mike Freemantle discovers

Ragworts are common weeds in the British countryside, and contain poisonous pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Mike Freemantle discovers how these are vital to the survival of moths and insects, but can prove fatal to livestock