Himalayan Balsam is one of those plants that’s lovely to look at and a menace to everything around it. You’ll spot its candy-pink flowers all along Silsden Beck — they’re hard to miss as you stroll down towards the railway station.
The trouble is, it’s a bully. It spreads at an astonishing rate — each plant fires its seeds several metres, and they float off downstream to set up camp somewhere new — and as it takes over, it crowds out the native plants that hold the riverbank together. Its own roots are shallow and feeble, so when winter comes and the balsam dies back, it leaves the bank bare and prone to washing away.
The good news? It’s remarkably easy to deal with, and surprisingly good fun. It pulls up with one satisfying tug — no tools, no digging — and clearing a whole stretch of bank in an afternoon is oddly therapeutic. Through June and July we run friendly work parties to pull up, or “bash”, the balsam. There’s no skill involved and new faces are always welcome — just wear something you don’t mind getting a bit mucky.
Have a look at our Events for dates, times and where to meet.
