Himalayan balsam may look pretty with its pink flowers, but it causes real problems for local wildlife, rivers, and community green spaces. It spreads rapidly if not managed.
Himalayan balsam may look pretty with its pink flowers, but it causes real problems for local wildlife, rivers, and community green spaces. It spreads rapidly if not managed.
Himalayan balsam is a tall plant originally brought to the UK in the 1800s as a garden ornamental. It quickly escaped into the wild and now grows in many habitats but mostly along riverbanks, canals, woodland edges, and damp areas.
Himalayan balsam grows rapidly and forms dense patches, crowding out the plants that local wildlife depends on. Scientific studies show it reduces native plant diversity and affects insects that rely on a mix of species.
This is one of the biggest problems:
UK research shows balsam invaded river banks erode much more quickly than healthy, vegetated ones.
Peer reviewed studies in the UK and Europe also found significantly higher erosion where balsam is present.
This erosion puts pressure on local communities by increasing flood risk, damaging wildlife habitats, and costing more to repair riverbanks.
Each plant can produces around 800 seeds (4-16 seeds per pod meaning 150-200 pods per plant). These pods explode, firing seeds up to 7 metres away.
Because it pushes out other plants, many insects, including bees, butterflies, and dragonflies, lose food sources.
Aside from their food source (insects) some birds and mammals are also effected, such as the endangered water vole, which depend on thick, stable riverbank vegetation, which balsam destroys.
As balsam dies back, the loose soil and dead plant matter can wash into rivers, contributing to blockages and increasing flood risk.
For more information about Himalayan Balsam and why it is such a big problem for UK wildlife, check out this blog by The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside.
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