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.

Summary 2017

Our first session was in mid-May at which time balsam was already growing quite strongly. I'd guess that it was a couple of weeks ahead compared to 2016. A dry Spring resulted in low river levels so we were able to wade safely from the start of the season. Although weather in July and August was much wetter, we managed to get out most weeks while avoiding the rain.

This year we reached new areas in difficult to access places along Glebeland, above the measuring station weir behind Mill Lane and on the river bank opposite Bridge House. Areas previously cleared were generally better than last year though balsam is yet not completely eradicated.

We spent 90 hours of volunteer effort this year, slightly less than last year though we were able to cover a bigger area. We didn't make use of any external volunteer groups as there weren't many areas where balsam was so dense it needed a concerted effort from a large group of people. We did get help from Neil of AIWF and Claire from BART which was much appreciated.

We also did a litter clear removing a large amount of rubbish from the river.

Mill Lane to Cogmill

On a hot and humid afternoon it was nice to get down into the cool and shade of the river behind the houses along Mill Lane. There were some tall plants on the river bank by the footbridge which we quickly cleared before making our way up to the measuring station weir, clearing balsam on both sides as we went.

Behind Mill Lane

Approaching the weir

While Neil and John M were able to find a way over the weir, John L and I went round on the bank, before reconvening and clearing lots of balsam on the way up to Blacks Rocks. We then carried on to the little islands further upstream. These were relatively clear compared to previous years so after clearing any remaining balsam we decided to push on to Cogmill.

Balsam on the way up to Cogmill

There were some big clumps mostly on the side opposite the Frome Valley Walkway but we were able to clear these before getting out at the metal footbridge and making our way back after a very satisfying afternoon.

A job well done!

Bridge House revisited

After postponing yesterday's session due to early morning rain and threat of more to come, today we enjoyed a fine, dry afternoon. Starting in the grounds of Bridge House we cleared up any stragglers from our last visit there and also got down into the river to clear the opposite bank and those balsam growing low down on the river bank.

The water wasn't too deep though the river bed was muddy and sticky in places. We cleared all the way down to the clumps we spotted on the way back from Nightingale's Bridge last week. Apart from any stragglers we may have missed and some plants growing on the edges of the gardens stretching down from Park Row, we've now cleared all the way from Nightingale's Bridge to Church Road.

The seeds are popping though many of them are still white.

Kingfishers, woodpeckers and Nightingale's Bridge

Despite forecast of rain, it remained dry and the river level was quite low so we headed down to Nightingale's Bridge. The field edges on the way down there were relatively clear of balsam so we left them for later.

After clearing the balsam around the bridge, John and Andrew waded upstream to clear some big clumps on the river bank,  spotting a kingfisher flashing past as they made their way along the river bed. Meanwhile Dave and Phil spotted a green woodpecker as they crossed the field to clear the big clump of balsam in the far corner.

Before...

... after.

We cleared some more growing amongst the undergrowth by the bridge, then headed back, clearing a few stragglers along the riverbank and spotting lots more on the opposite side which will require a further visit.

Burrs, Brambles and Bindweed

Two years ago the field behind St Peter's Church was a sea of pink balsam flowers.

St Peter's Field 2 Years Ago

This year it was mainly confined to the edges, along the river bank or along the churchyard wall. However access to it was hampered by tangles of burrs, brambles and bindweed.

Burrs and bindweed

Using walking sticks and slashers, we cut our way through to the riverbank and cleared all the balsam there apart from some clumps on the opposite bank. Unfortunately, following recent rain it wasn't possible to wade across to reach them.

Having cleared the riverbank we made our way back along the edge by the churchyard where the balsam is growing amongst tangles of brambles. With much cursing we able to cut our way into the brambles and clear most of the balsam though every time we turned around we seemed to spot another one lurking in the undergrowth.

Another visit will probably be necessary to get at some on the opposite bank and further upstream.

Wading up to Black Rocks

After recent rain the water level was a bit high and the river was flowing quite swiftly. Fortunately the river bed upstream is rocky rather than muddy so wading was not too difficult.

Just above the measuring station, there is a lot of balsam on the far side of the river but it is not very accessible. A little further upstream there were scattered plants on the near bank which we cleared before wading across to tackle the opposite bank. Near to the river this is not as bad as last year but it's still bad further away from the river on the field edge.

At Black Rock we cleared a few isolated plants including one giant which had been growing on a fallen tree lying in the water near to the bank and had developed a stem as thick as a man's leg.

We also cleared a specimen which had been standing proud on the far bank for the past couple of weeks.

Last week

Today

We continued upstream as far as the little islands clearing near to the riverbank though not managing to finish everything along the field edge.