Manor Farm, Marcham - Saturday, 19th July 2025

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Blog by Sally.  Photos by Julio and Sally

On Saturday, 19 July, we returned to Manor Farm in Marcham to continue with pulling Himalayan Balsam from the stream that runs behind one of the fields.  It was rather a drizzly morning following a spell of sometimes unseasonably warm weather, but that did not dampen our spirits.  There were 13 of us.  We gathered in the farmyard.

Assembling in the car park

As we did a couple of weeks' ago, we walked along Mill Road and ignored the Himalayan Balsam ("HB") growing in the ditch, as we knew we would be able to return to pull this one evening, and made our way to our usual spot for our base, taking advantage of the bench.  We then made our way along the field margin and split into two groups continuing where we had left off at our last visit.

Himalayan Balsam towering over the other vegetation before we started pulling

Taking full advantage of the low stream levels, Simon was able to tackle the monster HB

Native vegetation - purple loosestrife and meadowsweet - able to thrive without the presence of HB

In the thick of it!  Spot the Green Gymmers busy at work!

Rosie spotted this beautiful Elephant Hawk Moth caterpillar, so-called because it resembles an elephant's trunk!

Having perfected the technique, it was not long before we started to accumulate piles of HB.

Simon and Rosie just before break time with their pile

Satisfying work!

It did not seem long until it was time for elevenses, which was very welcome on a damp humid day.

A welcome break!

Although the Big Butterfly Count had officially started, the weather was not favourable for butterflies.  Along with the elephant hawk moth caterpillar, we disturbed a number of moths, including a yellow underwing, which was perfectly camouflaged and difficult to spot in the shade and dim light.  We also spotted a banded demoiselle (below):


A very cheery splash of colour were the spikes of berries of the arum often called "Lords and Ladies" or "Cuckoo Pint" (below):
As our session came to an end, it was very satisfying to look back at the heaps of HB that we had pulled, knowing each plant had the capability of producing hundreds of seeds, which can stay viable for 3-4 years.

One of the heaps of HB

Fording the stream on our way back to base

The "after" shot 

Himalayan Balsam will be difficult to eradicate completely, but by repeatedly pulling it before it can set seed, we can moderate the number of plants in the future and we know from other sites that concerted efforts like these every year can reduce the number of plants.  We wonder if in the future, we should also be sowing seeds of native plants (such as purple loosestrife) giving our pollinators the best possible chance, whilst their roots can help stabilise river banks and they can provide a succession of flowers for everyone to enjoy.

And we gained at least two fans!  This was a field that used to have a lot of HB growing in it, which now seems to be HB free.  Long may that continue!


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