Tags

, , , , , , , ,

I was alerted to the existence of this rust by a keen amateur naturalist I follow on social media, and I tagged their post as a reminder to look for the rust at the next opportunity. Little did I know I would find it the very next day as I walked around RSPB Lodmoor.

This is the rust fungus Puccinia tanaceti, which grows on Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) and some species of Artemisia, but, fortunately for me, is the only rust seen on Tansy. By sheer chance, there are quite a lot of Tansy plants growing alongside the footpaths that follow the outer boundary at Lodmoor, and I found the rust on the first few plants I looked at. Tansy is not so common in my part of south Wales but I will certainly be checking the plants I know about now that I’m back home again.