Invasive Plant Surveys

I am currently volunteering 2-3 days per week on the Invasive Non Native Species project for the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.  The main aims of the project this year are to map the presence and abundance of eight particularly problematic species that occur across South and West Yorkshire (and much of the rest of the UK).  Although we have a number of volunteer surveyors helping us with this task, there are still a number of sub-catchment areas that need surveying. To this end, I have spent much of August out and about carrying out invasive species surveys.  This basically involves walking an area, concentrating on water bodies and rivers, and looking for invasive plants. A lot of our volunteer surveyors key the results directly to PlantTracker on a mobile phone app, but I have an older phone so have been noting the results down and then typing them onto the PlantTracker website when I get home. 

So far I have carried out surveys along the stretches of the Lower Aire and much of the Upper Dearne including it's tributaries. Himalayan Balsam is prevalent along most of the lowland water courses, but I have also come across some quite big stands of Giant Hogweed and Japanese Knotweed.  The photo shows a particularly large stand of Giant Hogweed that I found near Ferrybridge.  I will be carrying on the surveys in September, probably focusing on the west of the county and the Upper Calder catchments.