I Spy in the Sea to Sky…

I wear the sun in clustered gold,

My beauty hides a poison old.

You pull me out, yet I remain,

And claim the careless in my reign.

What am I?

This plant is native to Europe, and was first seen in North America in the 1900s, likely spread through contaminated hay.  Can you guess what it is?

It’s tansy ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris)! It flowers from June to September and produces seeds from October to November. This species thrives in full sun or partial shade with well-drained soil, and is not commonly found in areas with high water tables or acidic soil. It invades disturbed sites and bare ground in grazed pastures, roadsides, vacant non-crop lands and forest clear-cuts.

In the Sea to Sky, the distribution of tansy ragwort is limited to Whistler and Squamish. The goal is to eradicate this species in these areas, and to prevent its spread to Pemberton, as per the SSISC priority invasive plant species list.

Where am I?

I spy with my little eye… tansy ragwort!

Can you find it?

Click through to find the answer!

Tansy ragwort can be easily identified by several distinctive features:

• Bright yellow, daisy-like flower heads arranged in dense, flat-topped clusters near the top of the stem.
• In the first year of growth, a low rosette with dark green, ruffled (lobed) leaves on purplish stems.
• Second-year flowering stems have alternate leaves that are dark green on top and whitish-green underneath, with deeply cut, blunt-toothed lobes and a ragged, ruffled appearance.

Does tansy ragwort have look-alikes?

• St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum): Invasive. Can be distinguished from tansy ragwort by its oval leaves that grow opposite to one another along the stem.
• Common tansy (Tanacetum vulgare): Invasive. The flowers of common tansy resemble yellow buttons, whereas tansy ragwort’s have petals.

Why is tansy ragwort such a concern in the Sea to Sky?

This species contains alkaloids that are toxic to cattle, deer, pigs, horses, and goats. If these animals consume tansy ragwort, they can experience liver damage; in susceptible animals, the liver damage is cumulative.

Furthermore, tansy ragwort can reduce overall productivity and stocking levels in areas utilized by livestock. The alkaloids in tansy ragwort taint honey, such that it is usually too bitter and off-color to market.

Please visit its species profile page to find out how to help.

Want to learn more?

• Tansy ragwort profile
• I Spy in the Sea to Sky series
• Report tansy ragwort sightings