Tansy Ragwort Officially Scourge of the 70s

From the ODA, full article at, "http://oregon.gov/ODA/news/100818tansy.shtml"

"08/18/2010 Biocontrol should keep the noxious weed in check

Farmers and ranchers in Western Oregon this summer are noticing patches of the telltale bright yellow flowers of tansy ragwort- a noxious weed once the scourge of the 1970s. But the experts at the Oregon Department of Agriculture say it's no cause for alarm as successful biological control agents should keep the plant from making an unwelcome comeback to prior levels.

The equation is simple- as the tansy ragwort population grows, so do the populations of flea beetles and cinnabar moths that feed off the weed. It's all part of a natural cycle, and ODA's Noxious Weed Control Program believes the good insects will maintain the upper hand.

In the last couple of weeks, ODA has been receiving calls from landowners or their neighbors anxious about the return of tansy ragwort, now in a very visible stage. The outbreaks are spotty and localized. Still, many Oregonians remember the bad old days when tansy was so invasive in Western Oregon that cattle and horse owners reported more than $4 million in losses each year as their animals grazed on infected pastures. Too often, the leaves of tansy grew among the grasses consumed by livestock in the spring, leading to sickness and death."