Friends of the Loxley Valley are organising “balsam bashing” sessions to help to beat back the invasive Himalayan Balsam plant that is starting to establish itself locally.
We have done surveys along the valley to find out where the plant has gained a toehold. We’re also identifying ‘balsam black spots’ where it has now seeded extensively.
We’ll then try to remove as much as we can, to keep it in check. Seeds can be dormant for up to three years so we may have to return repeatedly to the key sites for the next few years.
We are working in partnership with the Don Catchment Rivers Trust this year (2025). We’ve jointly organised four formal ‘balsam bashing’ sessions at various locations along the valley. These run from 10am to 1pm and dates are:
- 15th May
- 19th June
- 17th July
- 21st August
You can find at more about what is involved and how to sign up to these via their event pages: https://dcrt.org.uk/events-calendar/
You can also get in touch with Nick Blaney, who is leading the project on behalf of Friends of Loxley Valley. Nick can tell you more, if you’d like to be involved. He can be contacted via nicbla62@gmail.com
We have updated a post from last year that explains more about the problem and how we hope to tackle it. You can read it here: https://friendsoftheloxleyvalley.com/2024/07/05/friends-of-the-loxley-valley-aim-to-beat-himalayan-balsam/