Balsam Mapping

This is not a very exciting blip but it will serve as a record for next year.

First thing I had to walk down in to Bingley to pick up a mobile phone which we will use as the photo stopwatch at tomorrow's parkrun.  For some reason the tablet we normally use has given up the ghost!  

After lunch I decided to go up to the wood to map the Himalayan Balsam coverage, something I had promised to do at last week's Green Action Group meeting.  The thing is, once you get your eye in for the stuff, you have to pull it, so I was there for a couple of hours clearing various spots near the beck.  Unfortunately, the source area is vast and the balsam is insinuated in to the bracken, which is now taller than me, so we are not going to eradicate the problem without a major working party at some point.  However, clearing the plants from further down along the beck may be more manageable.  On the plus side, balsam is very easy to identify and pull.

The weather forecast for Monday and Tuesday is scary.  It may have to be a couple of days of staying in and doing the housework!  Our local weather person advised keeping the curtains closed on the sunny side of the house, and not opening the windows until the evening.   Stay cool everyone!