Yesterday I spotted some frilly kale-looking leaves coming up in the fernery. They look like ragwort. Ragwort is also known as Tansy Ragwort and can be confused with it but has more ragged leaves. It is a toxic weed, and some people can have an allergic skin reaction from touching it. Fortunately it is reputed to have an off-putting flavour, but it is often treated as a weed and eradicated. However, its nectar is an important food source for pollinators.
Ragwort is another biennial, which is why I didn’t spot it last summer. In the first year the leaves grow in a low rosette. The flowers appear later in the summer of the second year. They are a favourite with the iconic cinnabar moth caterpillars, which are striped black and yellow. The flowers look like clusters of yellow daisies on ragged-leafy stalks. After flowering the plant dies.
Ragwort is a common wildflower and can be found on roadsides and open spaces and meadows but prefers damp conditions.