Parsonage Bridge to Nightingale Bridge

At this time of year balsam is pushing up above the nettles and producing its distinctive pink flowers making it easier to spot. We started just upstream of Parsonage Bridge where there was a small clump of very tall balsam growing.

We then worked our way through Bridge House, clearing balsam on both sides of the river. The steep banks make access a bit difficult but with some of us on the bank and some working from the river bed we were able to clear this area, stopping only to admire the large purple loosestrife happily growing on a mudbank without competition from balsam.

Purple loosestrife on a mudbank

Led by the intrepid Andrew, we crossed the river to the corner of Hilly Fields where we quickly cleared a largish clump of balsam.

We then headed across the field to Nightingale's Bridge clearing the odd balsam growing on the field edge and one clump in amongst the bushes on the river bank. Just upstream from Nightingale's Bridge the bank is quite steep but with a bit of care on the bank and the river bed we were also able to clear this area.

There were a few plants just downstream from Nightingale's Bridge which we cleared before making our way back, clearing a few more plants which had escaped our attention earlier. We also spotted dozens of red soldier beetles on the hogweed plants along the field edge.

Mill Lane to Cogmill

A perfect day for clearing balsam - dry, sunny, a cooling breeze and river levels quite low. We were joined by Neil and Doug from AIWF/Bristol Zoo for a stroll up river from Mill Lane.



Behind the houses on Mill Lane there were just a few small clumps of balsam.

On the way to Black Rocks an overgrown path leads down to the river. We cut a path through then cleared a few dozen plants along that stretch and a few isolated plants on the other side of the river.



At Black Rocks there were very few plants unlike previous years. The little islands above Black Rocks had quite a few plants but were quite easy to access and didn't take too long to clear.

Glebelands and Meadow View

Early June was rather cool and wet so river levels had been a bit high and balsam was not growing strongly. However after a bit of warmer, drier weather a clearing session in Meadow View and along Glebelands looked promising and necessary particularly since a few plants were coming into flower. A heavy shower in the early morning made life a bit more difficult as the banks were slippery and the river level was a bit higher.

The grassy area off Meadow Mead had a few clumps hidden in the nettles but overall it was not too bad and we cleared it fairly quickly. Similarly on the other side of the river there were a few clumps along the river banks which were a bit tricky to reach because it was slippery and the water level was a bit high but we managed to clear most of them.

There were some big plants at river level near to Church Road bridge so we decided to wade into the river to clear them. There are still a few plants scattered around which we can return to clear when the water level has dropped again.

Litter walk (with a bit of balsam pulling thrown in)

I saw quite a bit of litter on my survey the other day so Andrew and I set off to do a bit of clearing upstream from St Peter's Church. We collected three bags plus a traffic cone!

We also cleared the patches of balsam I saw the other day plus a few more which we found on the opposite bank. The river level was quite low so very easy for wading.

First survey 2019

Following an unusually warm spell earlier in the year, it has been a fairly cool Spring. However, after a cool start to the day, the temperature started to rise during my first survey of the year from Nightingale's Bridge to Cogmill.

Overall the balsam situation wasn't too bad though there could be a lot still hiding in the undergrowth.

In summary:

- from the opposite bank, I could see some plants growing at the corner of Hilly Fields.
- along the riverbank by the Community Orchard there were a few little plants. Someone had pulled out a few so I added some more to the pile.
- along Meadow Mead, I only saw one plant amongst the nettles. I could also see some biggish ones low down on the opposite bank.
- at the little islands upstream from Black Rocks, there was a small clump on the near bank and what looked like quite a few on the opposite bank.

The Spring flowers were out in abundance.

2018 Summary

During the winter, river levels were high enough to flood the community orchard and the fields downstream from Nightingales's Bridge.

This was followed by a cool damp spring, which seemed to delay the growth of balsam by a couple of weeks compared to previous years.

Overall the balsam situation along the stretch of the river in Frampton Cotterell was better than previous years. There were still some big clumps, notably at the corner of Hilly Field and around Meadow Mead but many areas were clear or only had scattered plants.

We had a couple of sessions along the river in Iron Acton and made some useful contact with a local action group there.

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!