A Wild Life: ACT Wildlife Wardens

Bovey News: Hello, I'm Andrew, the newest Wildlife Warden in Bovey Tracey. You may have met me at The Repair Cafe or The Bovey Bat Group!  My turn to provide some words this month, so I wanted to highlight the invasive and non-native plant known as Himalayan Balsam - Impatiens glandulifera - which grows in dense clusters along our riverbanks and ditches. It is an attractive plant with many pink flowers that bees love. So, what's wrong with that?

Balsam grows rapidly from late spring, outpacing our native species leaving them with little sunlight.  Unchallenged, individual plants can reach over 3m in height meaning they rapidly take over large areas. Young plants have a shallow root network that can weaken the topsoil along rivers and ditches, accelerating erosion.  Balsam has earned the nickname of 'Jumping Jack' due to how far the seeds can disperse when the pollinated pod is disturbed, which unfortunately means they are quick to spread downstream, so working from the top of a water catchment, downstream yields the best long-term results. Our longer wetter summers means that the growing season is extending, however, a keen eye can help spot young plants before they flower – see photo. 

Environment Agency guidance should be followed since Balsam is listed under Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.  A coordinated approach with multiple landowner’s permission is often the key to successful removal.  Anglers and environmental groups have had localised success but perseverance over successive seasons is required. As a volunteer citizen scientist for the Westcountry Rivers Trust I have had the opportunity to survey parts of the River Bovey throughout the year.  At all but one location, I have found Balsam growing. If you find the plant and wish to remove it, please follow online guidance from the Environment Agency.  And contact us if you need a hand - we may be able to help! 

Keywords to search online: Devon Invasive Species Initiative / Himalayan Balsam Wildlife Trust / Westcountry Rivers Trust CSI / Upstream Thinking.

Bovey Tracey WWs:  Janet, Jo, David and Andrew boveywildlife@gmail.com

Ilsington News: In Ilsington Parish we have some wonderful wet woodlands, steep sided valleys with a range of vegetation special to our area. The first of our Wildlife Warden walks was to one of these, Narracombe Woods, beside the Liverton Brook.

These woodlands are characterised by their high humidity, dense vegetation and a stream. The Liverton Brook, the River Lemon, River Sig and Becka Brook on Dartmoor are all within Ilsington Parish. The valleys have been changed by man over the millennia through farming, forestry, mining and quarrying but they are still full of fascinating vegetation. It is the lichens, mosses and ferns which are really special. Lichens and mosses carpet rocks and tree trunks and can be seen hanging from the branches. Ferns which were around at the time of the dinosaurs can be seen rising from the valley floor and on the branches of trees in a variety of sizes and shapes.

Not all of these valleys have public access, look on your OS maps for public footpaths or ask for local knowledge about access. On the parish borders are beautiful wet woodlands along the River Bovey which can be easily accessed from Pullabrook car park. For further information about wet woodlands, I would suggest Guy Shrubsole’s book ‘The Lost Rainforests of Britain’.

Lost is a word that unfortunately comes up frequently in nature as, despite successes, many species still struggle. Often, we know what is needed to reverse declines but find it hard to make those changes. Hedgehogs, traditionally a woodland mammal, are Red listed as Vulnerable due to their numbers falling by 2% annually over many years. The decline in hedgehog numbers is multi-faceted. However, they mostly feed on invertebrates including caterpillars, beetles and earthworms and a fall in available prey items due to habitat loss and poor soil conditions is thought to be a significant factor. The BHPS are currently running 2 surveys in Devon for their national Hedgehog Monitoring Programme to obtain more accurate population density information.

Date for your diary: ACT Wild about Gardening stall at Ilsington Summer Show 20 July 11.30- 17.00

 Ilsington Parish WWs: Linda (Liverton) livertontiggys22@gmail.com   and Sheree (Ilsington) sheree2511@hotmail.co.uk  

Action on Climate in Teignbridge (ACT) is a Teignbridge wide initiative https://ww.actionclimateteignbridge.org/  The aim of the volunteer Wildlife Warden scheme is to help wildlife thrive across the district.