| I can’t say what it is about weeds that l have always loved? Perhaps it is quite simply because they are misunderstood like some animal species. Whatever your opinion or view is on weeds, they are everywhere, and they are here to stay. Twenty-five years ago, l used to forage for weeds to feed the enormous number of rabbits l had in my commercial breeding operation. Knowing about them made everything easier because it meant that l wouldn’t accidentally kill an animal by feeding the wrong weed. Most weeds are harmless, not all. Of course, some are and can be deadly. The fact is that people don’t like weeds because they don’t belong where they usually appear or are out of place. Many a time, gardeners especially don’t want them because weeds tend to grow quicker and easier than many ornamental flowers. Weeds have a way of surviving. They are ONLY considered weeds on the domestic level because, let’s be honest, when we are out walking in the countryside, how many people are bothered by the presence of weeds then? There are advantages and disadvantages to having weeds in your gardens and yards. They do have a lot of benefits that many people tend to ignore, and this series will highlight that. |
| The Beauty of Weeds Companion Plantings Shelter Encouraging wildlife Fertilising and enriching the soils Providing and active Mulch/Soil protection Attracting pollinators and good insects Repelling pests Food source for animals and humans Serves as decoy crops Great for wildlifing the garden Soil conditioning |
| Ribort Plantain Plantago lanceolata |
“What a lonely place it would be to have a world without a wildflower!”
Roland R. Kemler
| Ribwort Plantain is a weed/wildflower pending upon who is looking at it and where that is not that bad if you have it in your garden. It is one of the good weeds. Allow the plant to grow and die off naturally, enriching the soil. The roots of the plant are able to loosen off compacted soils. Also, you can eat the plant in its entirety, although l would personally suggest doing so when the plants are younger, and the leaves are tender. You can eat the leaves raw, or you can cook them. That choice is yours. They are great in salads, but equally, they serve well if pan-fried in some olive oil, and yes, you can make a Plantain Tea from it. It grows in abundance around here, and l see both the Ribwort, Greater and Broadleaf varieties. It can be found in gardens, woodland, grasslands and fields and roadside verges. Although if foraging to consume do not collect from the road as the traffic fumes will poison the plant. The plantain leaves can also serve as a salve similar to that of dock Leaves when used as a soother to nettle itch or bites and stings from insects. Pollinators and butterflies love the plantain plants, and birds love the seed heads. It is a lovely addition to a wildlife garden. |
| I hope you enjoyed R for Ribwort Plantain and I’ll see you again soon. The Autistic Composter |
| Earthly Comfort Designs available on my Redbubble Store. Collections – Earthen Wurmin, Inspired By Nature and The Autistic Composter Please Pop Along and Check Them Out. |
Earthly Comforts 
I always tell visitors if they get stung by a bee to grab a plantain leaf and crush it up and rub it on the sting. Stops the pain instantly. I also noticed that our chickens like to eat the leaves. (Probably the seeds too.)
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Hey Ruth, yes very much so – chickens will strip plantains down to the stem and then the root too 🙂
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Interesting 🧐
Weeds would not be good for me though …unless in middle of no where, then I like natural … except even there you MUST clear some because we have rattlesnakes and things so 🤷♀️
It’s the invasiveness of a weed – I would not be good with controlling
But very cool with what can do with 👏👏
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Oh l agree, there are some things people don’t need to be growing given the invasiveness and the allure of predators. Reflective upon of course where you are in the world.
In the UK we don’t have the deadlies like a lot of other countries do.
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Yeah I would be afraid of Australia 😮 they have many deadly things 😮
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Well so has the States, the pair of you as countries can kill with all the beasties.
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Hahaha yes we can… but they are a few notches above us 😳
But yes paired be scary lol
Does UK not have deadly things? Like Ireland has no snakes? 😮
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Not like you or Oz, but the biggest threat here is the same as both of you and that is humans themselves.
Scaling down from there l guess some of the larger animals could cause injuries like the deer running across roads and feral cows out on the moors. We also have a herd or three of wild boars.
We do have adders [snakes] but they are not fatal but might cause a reaction, some of the caterpillars are known to be problematic … so the UK is more along those lines 🙂
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Yeah none of your stuff seems scary?
No deadly snakes, no alligators, no deadly spiders or scorpions 🦂? lol bears? Mountain lions?
The UK sounds safer
I just googled “the UK’s most deadliest animal” and it said cattle and you have a body count from cattle at 4 to 5 people a year 😮😮
What’s up with your cattle??
Wow!! I learn something new! I had no idea 😮
Ok yes … us and Australia are way more dangerous lol
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Cattle out on the open lands can cause problems for walkers especially feral cattle. Dog walkers have been killed by feral and domestic cattle alongside their dogs.
Dogs worry cattle and bark around them and if a walker walks through a field with cattle they should have a dog on the lead and most assuredly if it is calfing season.
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I had no idea cattle were so dangerous 😮
I would never think that 😮😮
When I think dangerous animal – cattle do not come to my mind 😮
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Oh l know Trisha, and wait till you have been chased out of a field by an enraged male pig in breeding season protecting his sows!
Sheesh!
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Hahaha that’s hilarious!
When my parents lived in Arizona they had Javelina’s 😮 those were crazy!!
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Oooh yes peccaries are crazy with a capital K. They are crazy on a good day never mind when they are slightly pissed off at someone or something .
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Hahaha they used to wander through my parents streets – was normal thing lol
My mom thought was craziest thing – she used to talk about them all the time lol
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Hahaha
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