Trafford Wildlife is a group of volunteers who have been trying to eradicate the Himalayan Balsam from a number of local Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
The balsam was introduced to the UK as a garden plant in 1839 and has since spread widely along riverbanks and ditches, choking out the native wildflowers.
Ideally the weeds need to be chopped off at the root before they have flowered; if a flowering plant is pulled up and the root is left on, the flower will continue to develop until, with its dying breath, it will spit out all its seeds.
Today eight of us set forth with weed slashers and spent five hours chopping the balsam down; we'll have to go back again on Friday to finish the job.
