Friday 13th Balsam Bash is a great success

On Friday there was a very successful collaboration between Enniscorthy
Community Alliance, Enniscorthy Tidy Towns Volunteers, staff of the AIB Bank, Staff
of Holos Skin Care Company and members of the Public Participation Network.

The group organized to pull up Himalayan Balsam plants growing on the Urrin Loop of
the Promenade Walk. This invasive species which loves damp conditions has been
encroaching on this site for several years and the risk is that it will eventually shade
out all our local species especially the important pollinators.

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Himalayan balsam, formally regarded to be an exotic garden plant, has over
decades become a dominant invasive plant. It has taken over stretches of the river
Slaney and tributary banks – and part of our most ecologically sensitive areas.
Against the shading effects of Himalayan balsam, our native riverside wildflowers
such as Common comfrey, purple loosestrife, Great willowherb and Meadowsweet
stand little chance of survival. As part of this event, many of these species were
encountered and areas cleared around them to allow our native species thrive.
Furthermore, when the balsam dies back every winter it leaves bare earth that is
vulnerable to erosion. Without stabilising vegetation we’re losing more stream bank
and riverbank, including the wildlife that lives within it.
Volunteers that came out on Friday were really surprised at how easy it was to pull
up Balsam plants. In just 4 hours, 22 volunteers pulled thousands of plants,
with several large piles of balsam collected – these will degrade naturally over
time. They were reminded that every single plant pulled up means there’s between
500-2,500 less seeds germinating. It is important to intervene in this case to stop the
spread of Himalayan Balsam. It is also important to carry out this work before the
plant flowers and seeds from July -August. Enniscorthy Tidy Towns will log the
groups effort on the National Biodiversity Data Centre invasive species portal
(https://invasives.ie/)
There are lots more sites with Himalayan Balsam. If your company would like to
participate in a Balsam Bash as part of your social responsibility, or even just for a
fun afternoon then please let us know. Contact Jonathan at Enniscorthy Tidy Towns
[email protected] for more information.