Iron Acton

We were joined by a group of volunteers from Burges Salmon for a return visit to Iron Acton.

The day started well when we saw that a lot of balsam had been cleared near to the bridge. We worked up river to Tubbs Bottom clearing a lot of balsam though a small amount remained out of reach on the opposite bank.

This huge elephant hawk moth caterpillar seemed to be exploring the food potential of balsam until it fell off and had to be rescued from the river. If more of these were to develop a taste for balsam, perhaps they could help to eradicate it!

Nightingale's Bridge and Hilly Fields

After all the recent hot weather the temperature was a bit more comfortable this afternoon. We walked down to Nightingale's Bridge then waded back upstream to clear a few clumps of big plants which were beginning to set seeds though none were yet ripe. Despite the long spell of dry weather, there were still a few deep spots in the river which were only passable with chest waders.

We then moved on to the patch of riverbank at the corner of Hilly Fields. Again there were some very big plants but there was less than half the quantity of them that we've seen in previous years and we were able to clear them relatively quickly despite the surrounding nettles putting up some resistance.

Before

After
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We then returned to Parsonage Bridge and cleared up a few stragglers which we missed last week along Glebeland

Parsonage Bridge to Church Road

Although we cleared this area at the beginning of June, we inevitably missed some plants which have now become visible above the surrounding undergrowth and new seedlings have also developed in some areas.

Starting early to avoid the worst of the summer heat, we worked our way up the river bed and along the river bank to Church Road clearing some large clumps on the way.

Mid season survey

At Nightingales's Bridge there's a small amount of balsam by the bridge; downstream, in the horse paddock, there seems to be a fair amount on the river bank but not too much in the paddock itself. Upstream there's a big clump on the river bank.

The corner of Hilly Fields has a big clump despite Dave's heroic efforts last year.

There's none visible along the field edge between Nightingales's Bridge and Bridge House.

Between Rectory Road and Church Road there's quite a bit growing along the riverbank. At Meadow Mead where we cleared earlier there are a few large plants, some of which I cleared.

The field behind St Peters has a nice new "Trespassers will be Prosecuted " sign! There wasn't any  sign of balsam from the gate apart from some big clumps along the river bank.

On the way up to Black Rocks I couldn't see any sign of balsam. At Black Rocks itself there were a few plants some of which I cleared.

Between Black Rocks and Cogmill there were a few isolated plants.

Algars Manor to Tubbs Bottom

My earlier survey of this stretch didn't reveal the extent of the balsam growing along the river bank as a lot of it wasn't visible from the path. Only by wading along the river were we able to see the full extent of it.



However, we were able to clear a fair amount of it from the river bed and by scrambling along the river bank.

Iron Acton

Last year there was a lot of balsam growing along both sides of the footpath between Tubbs Bottom and Frampton End Road. This year there were signs that someone had been clearing the balsam along the path.

However there was still rather a lot along the edge of the riverbank and on the opposite bank of the river.

Further downstream on the way to the Hover's Lane ford, there were clumps of balsam growing in various places.

Mill Lane to Black Rocks

Another very hot day, perfect for wading upstream from Mill Lane.

There were a few plants along the first stretch from the footbridge up to the measuring station but far fewer than last year. The river was full of fish (chub?) of various sizes and although it was mostly quite shallow, there was a deep patch below the weir which forced us to retreat and find a way up to the bridge.

We continued via Drew's Yard and the Frome Valley Walkway before spotting a small clump of balsam down by the river which we cleared and then carried on along the river bank, seeing very few signs of balsam. After a while we crossed over the river and continued upstream clearing a few small clumps of balsam on the way up to Black Rocks.

In the open area at Black Rocks we couldn't see any balsam growing amongst the meadow sweet and comfrey. There was a small amount growing in the undergrowth just above Black Rocks but again in much smaller quantities than previous years.

Park Row property

During last week's session Andrew discovered balsam growing in the grounds of one of the houses along Park Row. Having obtained permission from the owner we returned this week to clear it.

It was a very hot day but fortunately there was only one large clump of balsam plus a few patches hiding amongst the nettles. With the help of a local youngster volunteering as part of his Duke of Edinburgh award scheme, we were able to clear it all fairly quickly.

Bridge House to Nightingale's Bridge

We were pleased to find that there weren't many plants growing along the banks at Bridge House and someone had already chopped down some of the undergrowth at the far end of the grounds. This only left a few dozen plants which needed to be cleared near to river bank.

Further downstream, we found a few plants amongst the nettles and again at Nightingale Bridge there were a few more. We did see a couple of big clumps on the other side of the river which we'll need to revisit on another occasion.

Meanwhile Andrew had found a large patch in the grounds of one of the houses on Park Row and did his best to clear them single-handedly.

Nightingale's Bridge

Upstream survey.

Last week we had a look at the field behind St Peter's Church. There were a few plants growing but no large clumps apart from one near to Church Road on the opposite bank of the river. There were also a few visible behind the houses on Mill Lane.

Today, Monday, I took a stroll upstream. I cut an access path (Start of path) through the undergrowth down to the river downstream of Black Rocks. In previous years this area has had quite a lot of balsam scattered amongst the undergrowth. This year I saw only a few plants. The opposite bank did have a few and there seemed to be more on the field edge behind.

I then walked upstream and waded across to the group of little islands upstream of Black Rocks. Two years ago when we first cleared the area it was densely colonised by balsam. Last year were fewer, and this year there were just a few isolated plants. However the field edge on the opposite bank was still bad, acting as a reservoir for recolonisation.

Meadow Mead and Glebeland 2018

After a late start to the season, balsam is now four to five feet tall in places. We cleared a couple of large clumps off Meadow Mead before moving to the other side of the river to clear a large clump by the Community Orchard. We also found scattered plants at various places along the river bank, some only reachable from river level.

Spring 2018

In 2017, balsam was already a few inches high by mid April.  Spring this year has been quite cool and balsam growth is probably about three weeks behind compared to last year.

On a very warm Bank Holiday Monday, we walked up from Nightingale's Bridge to Cogmill and saw very little sign of balsam. Whether this is due to our efforts in previous years or to the late spring remains to be seen. There is one large clump on the river bank by the community orchard and quite a few by the grassy area off  Meadow Mead. However, the plants are still only a few inches high so it's too early to try to clear them.

By the Community Orchard

On the positive side, there's a wide variety of native wild flowers trying to compete with the balsam.