I think that the invitation to pull Himalayan Balsam sounded less than inviting to many NCVs today as only a hard core of 8 turned up to join Paul at Hackfall Farm this morning. No matter - it is amazing what a group of 8 willing NCVs can do in a day.
Down into the valley of balsam rode the 8 NCVs.
The good news was that the plants were much taller than they were three weeks ago at Fir Tree Farm, when it was more like pinching out cress. This time there was sufficient to grab hold of and pull whilst remaining reasonably straight for some of the time. Soon we had armfuls of the stuff.
NCVs' enemy No. 1.
Anyone care for some balsam with their lunch?
The bad news was that other plants had also moved skyward and so NCVs had to move through nettles and brambles to reach the balsam. At one point a tall nettle flicked back and hit me on the nose. I thought that I might have to put a poultice on it when I got home to relieve the sting.
Artist's impression of the nettle sting and nose poultice event.
We started on the innermost reaches of the balsam and worked our way backwards towards the perimeter wall. The plan is that we should at least aim to prevent further spread of this invasive species into the wood. More good news was that we could actually see a real difference in the areas we worked on last summer. The % balsam cover is definitely a good deal lower than in previous years. Hurray!!!!
NCVs take a lunch break on a handy picnic bench.
Ros K. has trouble getting into the right position for sandwich eating.
It was a quiet task - I kept thinking that I was all alone with only the birds and insects for company. But a quick glance to the side showed that at least two other NCVs were not far away. We were all just enjoying the peace in the wood.
The NCVs move quietly through the undergrowth
leaving a trail of empty earth behind them.
By the end of the afternoon there were heaps of balsam festooning a nearby fallen tree. So much more satisfying a result than the small heap we harvested at Fir Tree Farm.
This is one lot of balsam whose invading days are over.
For three of the NCVs there was a little treat in store. As the AONB were running a pond dipping event at the main pond in the centre of the wood help was needed, during both the morning and afternoon, to supervise the children that dropped by to investigate the invertebrates to be found.
The pond before the arrival of the dippers.
damselfly nymph dragonfly nymph
stonefly nymph caddisfly nymph
rams horn snail freshwater shrimp
pond skater bloodworm
Ros E.
No comments:
Post a Comment