Am I wrong?, field research in Omach
The general definition of a ‘weed’ is ‘a plant in the wrong place’ or ‘a plant growing where it is not wanted’.
Where then is the right place for a plant to grow?
There was a Sicilian plant on Mount Etna, the most active volcano in all of Europe. The plant was introduced to the United Kingdom around 1690 via the Oxford Botanic Garden. However, its exact route of migration remains a mystery. Since then, the plant has been wandering and mingling with the British people, whether they know it or not. This is the so-called ragwort (with its origin in ‘ragged wild plants’), commonly called a weed.
The Rise of The Ragwort by Daily Mail (2013) and The Ragwort Fairy print by Cicely Mary Barker (1930)
Pieter van der & David Loggan, Le jardin de Medecine a Oxford, 1707; Storer J & H, Botanic Garden, 1821; Abel Evans, Vertumnus: An Epistle To Mr. Jacob Bobart, Botany Professor To The University Of Oxford, And Keeper Of The Physick-garden, 1713
Ragwort, The Horses Worst Enemy?, World Horse Welfare, 2007
To The Cushag's Friend by Josephine Kermode, 1907
cushag: The ragwort, the national flower of the Isle of Man
cushag: The ragwort, the national flower of the Isle of Man
Bliss: 2 Nursery Rhymes: The Ragwort (1921) by Arthur Bliss,
performed by Emma Johnson; Judith Howarth; Malcolm Martineau,
British Clarinet Music ℗ 1994 ASV Ltd.
performed by Emma Johnson; Judith Howarth; Malcolm Martineau,
British Clarinet Music ℗ 1994 ASV Ltd.
The plant is supposed to grow on Mount Etna where there are no horses, field research in Sicily
The early stages of the project were supported by a-n The Artists Information Company, London, UK.
Botanical advisors:
Simon Hiscock (Director of the Oxford Botanic Garden)
Dawn Sanders (Biology educator at the University of Gothenburg)
Mark Brent (Curator of the Oxford Botanic Garden)
Simon Hiscock (Director of the Oxford Botanic Garden)
Dawn Sanders (Biology educator at the University of Gothenburg)
Mark Brent (Curator of the Oxford Botanic Garden)
In loving memory of Helen Michael (1972-2021)
Ellie Kyungran Heo, mind map of the book Weeds written by Richard Mabey
May you be in a better place where morality alone can never reach, field research in Oxford