Last week of Balsam

Returned to the cricket club with Stroud Valleys Project for the last Himalayan Balsam pulling of the season. There were a few different routes we could take through the woods to known areas of Balsam from previous years. Up until tea break it was a bit bitty with just small amounts spread over a wide area. Everything is in flower now, but surprisingly most of the flower heads were not popping seed when pulled, which makes it worthwhile doing. After tea break we found a very substantial, densely populated along a fairly long stretch of river bank. This was a classic balsam pulling session when we worked methodically and covered the area pretty comprehensively. It will be interesting to check on this section in future years, as i would expect the native vegetation to take over. The bank was quite bare once the balsam had been removed, which highlights exactly why we do this. After the balsam is pulled Balsam free area One very pleasing area to walk through an area we did two years ago…