If I go for a walk by the river

Report injured wildlife

If you see injured or distressed wildlife contact your local wildlife rescue service.

Salisbury Area
Wildlife helpline and care centre: 01980 862291
Emergency callout: 07790 296951
www.wildlife-rescue.co.uk

Wiltshire Wildlife Hospital
Wiltshire based hospital provides 24hr advice and rescue service
Ph: 01980 629470
Emergencies: 07850 778752
http://wilts-wildlife-hosp.org.uk

Dorset Wildlife Rescue
Rescue Hotline: 01202 246555
Mobile: 07780 997881
http://www.dorsetwildliferescue.co.uk

 

Know the problem plants and report them

Animals and plants that have been introduced to a place where they do not naturally occur are known as non-native species. Many of these live happily in the UK without causing a problem but a few become what is known as "invasive". These upset the balance of where they grow as they are bigger, faster growing or more aggressive than the native species. They also have no natural predators to control their numbers. The native species are unable to compete and fairly quickly the outsiders take over.

Japanese Knotweed, Himalayan Balsam and Giant Hogweed are three of the most invasive plants that are widespread on the River Avon system. Unless effective control is started in the next few years it is likely that these populations will spread and dominate significant lengths of the river and its wetlands leading to permanent loss of native wildlife.

Find out how to control, remove and dispose of these plants on the Environment Agency website.

Giant Hogweed

Giant hogweed was introduced to Britain in 1893 as an ornamental plant. It escaped from gardens and now colonises many areas of wasteland and riverbanks. It forms dense colonies that suppress the growth of native plants and grasses, leaving the banks bare of vegetation in winter and increasing the risk of erosion and recolonisation from seeds washed downstream.

How to identify it

• Stem: A stout hollow Green stem with dark-red or purple blotches. It can grow up to 5m tall.
• Leaves: Dark green, Jagged appearance and spiky at the end. The Lower leaves can be up to 1.5m long.
• Flowers: Several hundred white flowers in June -July in large umbrella-like flower heads up to 500mm Across

Scary Fact

Each flowerhead produces up to 50,000 seeds that are easily dispersed by water, so the plant can move rapidly along watercourses. Seeds may remain viable for up to 15 years.

Health Hazard

The stems, edges and undersides of the leaves bear small hairs containing poisonous sap, and the slightest touch causes painful blistering and severe skin irritation. Protective clothing must be worn.

Himalayan Balsam

Himalayan was introduced to Britain in 1839, but escaped from gardens and rapidly colonised riverbanks and other damp areas. Himalayan Balsam grows in dense stands that suppress the growth of native plants. In the autumn, the plants die back, leaving the banks bare of vegetation and vulnerable to erosion.

How to identify it

• Stem: Pinky-red colour Up to 3m tall Hollow and jointed Sappy and brittle
• Leaves: Shiny and dark green Spear-shaped, with serrated edges
• Flowers: Purplish-pink to pale pink from June - October, slipper-shaped, on long stalks

Japanese Knotweed

Japanese Knotweed was brought to Britain as an ornamental garden plant in the mid-nineteenth century. However since then it has become widespread in the wild and causes serious problems by displacing native flora and causing structural damage.

How to identify it

• Stem: Green, with red or purple specks. Up to 2-3m tall forming dense clumps
• Leaves: Green, shield or heart-shaped, with a flat base Up to 120mm long.
• Flowers: Creamy clusters borne on the tips of most stems in August - October

Scary Fact

The underground rhizome system can reach 7m from the parent plant and can be up to 3m deep. New plants can grow from a piece of rhizome the size of a little finger nail and the crown, located at the base of the stem will also produce new plants.

Legislation

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 provides the primary controls on the release of non-native species into the wild in Great Britain. It is an offence under section 14(2) of the Act to 'plant or otherwise cause to grow in the wild' any plant listed in Schedule 9, Part II. This includes Japanese Knotweed and Giant Hogweed.

What can be done?

Invasive plants can be controlled and eradicated but it takes time and effort. The first step is to build up an accurate picture of where they are and then consider their management on a catchment wide basis. This is essential as they can reproduce and spread very quickly. The Living River project is developing a catchment-wide strategy for the management and control of invasive plants and a major step is to know where they are - and we need your help. Any reports of Giant Hogweed, Himalayan Balsam and Japanese Knotweed will help the strategy.

We need to know:

• Species - photos are good for verification
• Location - and a grid reference
• Date of first appearance, if known
• Date of report
• Description of extent of infestation - for example, 'dominant aong 50m of left-hand bank)
• If there has been any attempt to control and by what method

If you see any of these invasive plants in the River Avon catchment please report them here or contact Martin de Retuerto or your local Biological Records Centre:

Martin de Retuerto
Wessex Chalk Streams Project
Email: martin.deretuerto@naturalengland.org.uk
Ph: 01380 737 008

Wiltshire

Wiltshire and Swindon Biological Records Centre
www.wsbrc.org.uk
01380 725670

Hampshire

Hampshire Biodiversity Information Centre
www3.hants.gov.uk/biodiversity/hbic

Dorset

Dorset Environmental Records Centre
www.derc.org.uk
01305 225081

Report interesting wildlife to your local biological records centre

All environmental records are important, from the most common to the rarest, from the flocks of birds in the air to the fish in the river. Local records centres in individual counties collect these records in one place and can monitor the changing status and distribution of both habitats and species.

This information is used to ensure that important areas for wildlife are taken into account when considering plans for new developments and that environmental organisations are able to target their resources more effectively. Information supplied by the Records Centre continues also supports local Biodiversity Action Plans (BAPs) by helping to identify those habitats and species that require priority action.

If you want to report what you see, you need to provide the records centres with - What, Where, When and Who.

• What is the precise species - give the scientific (Latin) and/or English name (if there is one)
• Where did you see it - give a precise location, a six figure grid reference or postcode (urban areas).
• When did you see it - day, month, year.
• Who identified it - give their name. If it was not you, then give us their name as well.

The records centres would rather receive duplicate records than none at all.

The River Avon system runs through three counties - depending upon where you spotted the plant or animal contact one of the three county records centres.

Wiltshire

Wiltshire and Swindon Biological Records Centre
www.wsbrc.org.uk
tel: 01380 725670

Hampshire

Hampshire Biodiversity Information Centre
www3.hants.gov.uk/biodiversity/hbic

Dorset

Dorset Environmental Records Centre
www.derc.org.uk
tel: 01305 225081