This cache is on a footbridge over the River Blackwater, at a site where Himalayan Balsam is an unwelcome resident.
Some plants are quite tall
Pulling Balsam
On 17th June 2017, a CITO Event was organised at this location, in conjunction with The Blackwater Conservation Group. This coincided with one of their Himalayan Balsam Pulling Events, which tackle this invidious, but pretty plant; an unwanted invasive species on the headwaters of the Blackwater. So, if you see any, pull it up, please!
In 2020, it was not possible to organise a mass pulling event due to Covid-19 Lock-Down restrictions. However that didn’t apply to the deer, and despite usually being considered a pest as they eat all the rare plants, this year they browsed on the Balsam. When a small family “bubble” tackled the Balsam, there was not much left with flowers, so it will not be able to seed. We look forward to a reduced crop in 2021.
The Blackwater Conservation Group was formed to protect the landscape and ecology of the Blackwater Valley for future generations. Its group of conservation volunteers focus on the environmental effects of water pollution and invasive species on the River Blackwater, which is sourced from several streams flowing down from the escarpment in the south east corner of Wiltshire along the northern edge of the New Forest National Park. The river initially runs west to east before curving round to the south as it crosses into Hampshire and flows down to join the River Test near Totton. Unlike many of the chalk streams and rivers in Wiltshire that are alkaline, the Blackwater contains water from boggy woodland sources and as a consequence is acidic in nature.
The group are independent and organise their own volunteer tasks whilst at the same time maintaining links, and working in conjunction with, professional organisations such as the New Forest Land Advice Service, New Forest National Park Authority, Environment Agency and the Freshwater Habitats Trust.
What is this Alien from The Himalayas, and why Banish it?
Introduced to the UK in 1839, Himalayan Balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) is a relative of the Busy Lizzie, but reaches well over head height, and is a major weed problem, especially on riverbanks and waste land. It grows rapidly and spreads quickly, smothering other vegetation as it goes. It is an annual, and dies back after distributing its seeds in late summer. This leaves the river banks bare and without vegetation to prevent erosion during the winter, leading to clogged watercourses and flooding. The devastation also includes our wildlife. Water voles lose their habitat and food. Gravel river beds are covered with black rotting plant material, putting many invertebrates at risk and fish such as salmon and trout are unable to spawn without clean gravel.
Know your Balsam
Conservation bodies up and down the country tackle this problem, and the cornerstone of their efforts are usually pulling the plants up before they set seed. In areas of severe infestation, this is an annual war of attrition, and gradual improvement. As the plants are shallow-rooted, they are really easy to pull up, and you can soon build a pile of plants which can safely rot away. In some open areas, it is possible to scythe them. Chemical spraying is a last resort solution restricted to professionals, and carries the risk of polluting the watercourses we are trying to help.
The Little Bridges series was started by Stanthews in 2009 to highlight small footbridges in remote parts of Wiltshire. Since then the series has been expanded by others all over the country and starting to spread fast. There is a stats listing run by Bloodsock, so you can see how many Little Bridges you have found, you can find it here:- https://littlebridgesseries.wordpress.com/ . If you would like to add to the series, please contact Stan on stanthews@aol.com and he will give you a number for your bridge, to qualify, the bridge must be a foot bridge too small for vehicles, please make sure your title exactly matches "Little Bridges # xxxx then the name" including spaces so it will get picked up and added to stats list.