Certain chemicals found within this plant can cause skin irritation, ingestion can result in extreme gastrointestinal distress, and excessive grazing can be fatal to livestock. It is advisable to handle this plant with gloves and consider young children, pets, and livestock before introducing to any landscape.
 
Cursed Crowfoot (Ranunculus sceleratus) is an interesting, though highly toxic, native annual with a wide distribution across North America, Europe, and Asia. It is commonly found in wetland habitats such as marshes, swamps, and along the margins of lakes and streams. It can most often be seen following disturbance or lingering at the edge of slow-moving streams. One of the desirable qualities of Cursed Crowfoot is its vibrant yellow blooms, which can appear from late spring to early fall. 
 
Although toxic, Cursed Crowfoot can provide important ecological benefits to wetland wildlife, particularly as an early native colonizer following invasive plant removal in wetland settings. The glossy leaves and bright, tall flowers (for a Buttercup) are quite vibrant in their swampy sunlit habitats and are especially attractive to syrphid flies and small beetles. Clumps of the plant can provide shelter for birds, and the seeds are also a food source for waterfowl and small mammals. 
 
Cursed Crowfoot thrives in most damp to wet soil conditions and is adaptable to a wide range of soil types. It prefers loamy or clayey soils but can tolerate sandy or rocky substrates as well, provided they stay damp throughout the growth season. Germination requires a cold stratification period, and seeds can be surface sown on seedling mix in fall or late winter.