Solved Is this groundsel weed?

New to all this. Is this a weed? My brew, butterflies and 7 year old love it

 

I do believe it is groundsel....and a weed to me...

 

Just dangerous to horses? Any other animals like rabbits?

 

As far as I know @CoffeeKev Ragwort only affects horses and not rabbits.A horse doesn’t like eating it fresh because of its bitter taste but if they do eat it from what I understand it will affect the horses liver so is quiet dangerous to them.

Better not feed any to your pet rabbits if you have any growing near you but the flowers when open are of a great benefit to many pollinating insects including butterflies and hover flies.

 

Quite right @Kandy. We fastidiously pull the Ragwort we get but it always seems to still be around. The best time to pull it out is now despite the ground being like concrete. it is much more difficult to get out when not flowering. Also look closely at the plant you have spied because as sure as eggs is eggs there will be some small "insurance policy" seedlings lurking close by.
Horses avoid eating it but some poor equines if kept on very bad grazing will eat it if nothing else available. If it is harvested along with grass for hay then unfortunately it is quite palatable to horses and they will eat it dry. Damage due to ingestion is serious and often irreversible. Cattle and sheep eat it with no bother at all but then a horse's digestion is decidedly delicate at the best of times annoyingly.

 

Cheers for the advice guys. I'll leave it for now. Loving the amount of bees and butterflies it attracts

 

Hello @CoffeeKev this info may help also besides what other members have mentioned

Ragwort is a serious risk to horses and cattle. Ragwort is mildly poisonous, but the taste of the plant is usually off-putting to livestock. That’s why it’s not unusual to see horses in fields chomping on grass but leaving the ragwort – clever things.

Ragwort - Identification to Control - Get Rid of Ragwort

Ragwort, Horses and the law - InBrief.co.uk