Today, two groups of volunteers formed our first working parties in Knowle Park to deal with invasive Himalayan balsam in Littlemead Brook.
Knowle Park Trust is responsible for around half a mile of this river running through the site and is fighting a battle again balsam.
The plant was first introduced in UK gardens in 1839 but soon ‘escaped’ and became widely naturalised along riverbanks and ditches, especially those close to villages and towns.
It is fast-growing and spreads quickly, invading wet habitats at the expense of other native flowers.
Also known as ‘Indian balsam’, Himalayan balsam is originally from the Himalayas. This has earned it the charming nickname of ‘Kiss-me-on-the-mountain’ in some parts of the UK.
Its explosive seed pods aid its spread by sending the seeds into the river, causing further dispersal downstream.
Did you know that Himalayan balsam can grow up to 2m in height?!
Despite its pretty pink flowers, it shades other plants and, when it dies back in the autumn, it leaves river banks bare and vulnerable to erosion.
Balsam bashing involves pulling up the shallow-rooted plant before its seed pods mature and explode! When they do go ‘pop’, up to 800 seeds from each plant are spread metres away.
While we can’t remove every plant in the space of a year, we can gradually reduce its dominance along our river banks. We’ll be back to remove more in subsequent years.
A big thank you to all volunteers who participated in the working parties today.
If you want to join a future working party or learn more about volunteering opportunities in Knowle Park, please email our volunteer coordinators at hello@knowlepark.org.uk.
