Volunteers turned out last weekend to tackle the invasive species Himalayan balsam around Rydal Water.
It was part of the Friends of the Lake District’s Fight the Aliens – Big Balsam Bash event.
This is the third year running the Cumbrian landscape conservation charity has organised the event and 45 people turned up last Saturday to attack the invasive plant all round Rydal Water.
The Fight the Aliens – Big Balsam Bash event was a partnership between Friends of the Lake District and South Cumbria Rivers Trust, with support from the National Trust, the Lake District National Park, Lowther Estates, Rydal Estate and C & S Hodgson (Rydal Hall Farm).
Some strimming of the bigger patches was done courtesy of Lowther Estates, with funding provided by Rydal Estate and SLDC, while volunteers pulled up much of the balsam by hand.
The plant is a problem because it outcompetes native plants and spreads rapidly, especially along river banks and water courses.
It dies off in winter, leaving bare banks of exposed soil that are then prone to erosion with no plant roots to keep them in place.
Volunteer and event organiser Ken Taylor said: “I think we are winning! This year, there were far fewer balsam plants for us to pull – partly due to the late spring but mainly a result of our efforts over the last two years.
“But, this made it more challenging for the volunteers, as they had to search harder for the plants. Even so, we managed, for the first time, to cover all the infested ground in one go. I want to thank all those who turned up to allow this to be achieved.”
Douglas Chalmers, of Friends of the Lake District, said: “Events such as these are so important for sustaining our landscape.
“Himalayan Balsam is an invasive non-native plant that reproduces rapidly and spreads quickly.
“It smothers and displaces our indigenous plants in our environment which simply cannot compete. It has been a genuine pest for over 150 years and it is very satisfying when we can see its invasion being halted and turned back as we have here.”
It’s really vital that the plants are not allowed to go to seed, with each plant capable of producing 800 seeds per year, so several follow-up volunteer events are planned to mop up more of the balsam. The dates are:
- Friday July 23
- Tuesday August 10
- Wednesday August 25
- Thursday September 9
- Monday September 27
All run from 9am to 1pm.
To register as a volunteer, visit South Cumbria Rivers Trust website at https://scrt.co.uk/events/balsam-bashing/.
