The power of small wins

It's amazing how therapeutic a couple of hours of pulling up Himalayan balsam can be! Unlike many other invasive and non-native plants, this one comes out of the ground quite easily with a little tug.  It is a fast spreading annual weed which suppresses our native plants and is becoming very well established along UK river banks and woodlands.  And unfortunately we have it at Grosvenor and Hilbert.

And so it was, last Thursday, our practical volunteer team's maiden voyage into the conservation of our park's landscape.  Welcome to Peter, Ben, Susan and Lucy the dog - the first attendees to the new Thursday volunteer programme.  They certainly proved themselves and did the park justice by getting at a large chunk of Himalayan balsam out before it set seed. 

Volunteer vs alien

Lucy and her beloved ball

Watch this space for the next adventure of the Grosvenor and Hilbert Volunteer Team!