Japanese Knotweed Kills UK Countryside
I recently attended a sponsor’s day organised by the Wild Trout Trust on the Haddon Estate. The day was arranged to launch the Trout in the Town Initiative see www.wildtrout.org. One of the guest speakers made a bold statement that … ‘Himalayan balsam kills trout’ which I initially dismissed as provocative words meant to get a reaction from the audience.
He then went on to explain that Himalayan balsam grows to the detrement of our native species, spreads unchecked along river banks and crowds out our native plants. Over winter the balsam dies back and with only shallow roots does not retain the river banks on which it thrives. Thus during times of flood river banks are eroded, silt blocks the flow of the river and ruins spawning beds – hence … ‘Himalayan balsam kills trout’.
This got me to thinking maybe a way to get people to sit up and take notice would be to describe the effects of Japanese Knotweed (JK) in a similar way … ‘Japanese Knotweed kills the British Countryside’.
Japanese Knotweed grows to the preclusion of all of our native species, nothing predates on Japanese Knotweed, nothing lives within Japanese Knotweed, nothing lives on Japanese Knotweed. Huge monoculture stands spreading at a phenomenal rate are already engulfing our beloved countryside.
Look in your garden, look in your road, look on your local river, look in any waste ground….get to know what it looks like…be a JK Spotter!
Stand up and be counted…do something…fight back…are you lost and don’t know what to do….?
Contact Japanese Knotweed Solutions for directions!
