Volunteers on Himalayan balsam bash

The morning of June 26th saw FOBB get stuck into a strip of balsam that had been tackled over two years along the western edge of a 45 acre field that borders the River Bollin near Ashley Mill in Bowdon. The difference made to the abundance of balsam here over the past two years has been immense.  There is far less Himalayan balsam than there used to be, which made pulling it up a bit trickier as brambles and nettles have taken over where the balsam used to be.  This however is a small price to pay to ensure the restoration of riverside habitats, and noting long-sleeves can’t fix!  FOBB also dug up some Giant Hogweed seedlings that were found in amongst the balsam, and two volunteers dug up hogweed and pulled up balsam plants from in the river; it was a great day to get the waders on!  Seven volunteers including two from Beacon got involved and had a great morning doing conservation work and socialising.  FOBB have balsam bashes every weekend throughout the summer, the details of which can be found here.