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Giant Hog Weed
Anyone good at identifying this? About 12" tall and looks like a total
pain in the ass? To add to the infestation of Knot Weed that I found the other day and the Himalayan Balsalm that is just EVERYWHERE? Not in my garden, but on a part of the National Cycle Network that I help manage. But at this rate of infestation, in my garden, your garden, EVERY garden. What is happening to our countryside? Seriously though, if I post a pic of some Giant Hog Weed, anyone able to say yes or no? Brian. |
Giant Hog Weed
"Brian Robertson" wrote in message
... Anyone good at identifying this? About 12" tall and looks like a total pain in the ass? To add to the infestation of Knot Weed that I found the other day and the Himalayan Balsalm that is just EVERYWHERE? Not in my garden, but on a part of the National Cycle Network that I help manage. But at this rate of infestation, in my garden, your garden, EVERY garden. What is happening to our countryside? Seriously though, if I post a pic of some Giant Hog Weed, anyone able to say yes or no? Brian. Try googling giant hog weed, there are id sites galore pk |
Giant Hog Weed
In article , Brian Robertson writes: | Anyone good at identifying this? About 12" tall and looks like a total | pain in the ass? To add to the infestation of Knot Weed that I found the | other day and the Himalayan Balsalm that is just EVERYWHERE? | | Not in my garden, but on a part of the National Cycle Network that I | help manage. But at this rate of infestation, in my garden, your garden, | EVERY garden. What is happening to our countryside? | | Seriously though, if I post a pic of some Giant Hog Weed, anyone able to | say yes or no? Well, yes, but the most likely 12' umbellifer is hogweed, so what the hell? I assume that you meant 12' (feet) and not 12" (inches). Put it up on a Web site and post the URL, if you like, but it isn't really worth the effort. Despite the hysterics, it ISN'T taking over the UK. And, to answer your question, almost all of the UK flora is recent, and a very high proportion is introduced, so what the hell? Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
Giant Hog Weed
Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article , Brian Robertson writes: | Anyone good at identifying this? About 12" tall and looks like a total | pain in the ass? To add to the infestation of Knot Weed that I found the | other day and the Himalayan Balsalm that is just EVERYWHERE? | | Not in my garden, but on a part of the National Cycle Network that I | help manage. But at this rate of infestation, in my garden, your garden, | EVERY garden. What is happening to our countryside? | | Seriously though, if I post a pic of some Giant Hog Weed, anyone able to | say yes or no? Well, yes, but the most likely 12' umbellifer is hogweed, so what the hell? I assume that you meant 12' (feet) and not 12" (inches). Put it up on a Web site and post the URL, if you like, but it isn't really worth the effort. Despite the hysterics, it ISN'T taking over the UK. And, to answer your question, almost all of the UK flora is recent, and a very high proportion is introduced, so what the hell? Regards, Nick Maclaren. Hog Weed is fairly rare in my experience, but it spreads. (Yes I did mean 12') Knot weed I find to be depressingly problematic, virtually closing some paths when in full bloom and wiping out the other plant life around it. Balsalm is just everywhere and, like Knot Weed, seems to wipe out the competition. I think they are all introduced. No, they aren't taking over the UK, but they do seem to be leaving deep and unpleasant scars. Brian. |
Giant Hog Weed
In article , Brian Robertson writes: | | Hog Weed is fairly rare in my experience, but it spreads. (Yes I did | mean 12') Knot weed I find to be depressingly problematic, virtually | closing some paths when in full bloom and wiping out the other plant | life around it. Balsalm is just everywhere and, like Knot Weed, seems to | wipe out the competition. Knotweed does have that effect, but I have seen neither hogweed nor Himalayan balsam eliminate other plants. | I think they are all introduced. No, they aren't taking over the UK, but | they do seem to be leaving deep and unpleasant scars. Just like sweet chestnut! Seriously. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
Giant Hog Weed
Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article , Brian Robertson writes: | | Hog Weed is fairly rare in my experience, but it spreads. (Yes I did | mean 12') Knot weed I find to be depressingly problematic, virtually | closing some paths when in full bloom and wiping out the other plant | life around it. Balsalm is just everywhere and, like Knot Weed, seems to | wipe out the competition. Knotweed does have that effect, but I have seen neither hogweed nor Himalayan balsam eliminate other plants. | I think they are all introduced. No, they aren't taking over the UK, but | they do seem to be leaving deep and unpleasant scars. Just like sweet chestnut! Seriously. Regards, Nick Maclaren. If they are growing thickly enough, I suspect that any of these plants would reduce diversity in a given area. Knotweed is, indeed, the worst offender though. When it falls back in the winter it leaves a barren wasteland behind it. Of course the real danger with Hogweed lies in what its sap does. What upset me about these particular infestations is that they are small patches and presumably new, which leaves me wondering (Fearing) what that same river bank will look like in 5 or 10 years time. The other side of the river is a jungle of knot weed. Shame. There ain't no money to stop it. Brian. |
Giant Hog Weed
In article , Brian Robertson writes: | | If they are growing thickly enough, I suspect that any of these plants | would reduce diversity in a given area. Knotweed is, indeed, the worst | offender though. When it falls back in the winter it leaves a barren | wasteland behind it. That is dubious for the others, because they rarely grow thickly enough to prevent all other plants growing underneath or through them. | Of course the real danger with Hogweed lies in what its sap does. Not as much as the hysterics imply. It's little worse than many other garden plants, which don't attract the same hysteria. | What upset me about these particular infestations is that they are small | patches and presumably new, which leaves me wondering (Fearing) what | that same river bank will look like in 5 or 10 years time. The other | side of the river is a jungle of knot weed. I have observed patches of both hogweed and Himalayan balsam over decades; they rarely expand aggressively and exclusively. Britain has a very competitive flora, because it is almost entirely comprised of plants that have invaded or been introduced in the past 11,000 years, and so is at little risk from other introductions. I can think of a mere handful of plants (native OR introduced) that form exclusive ecologies except in very unusual circumstances or with ongoing human help. Even the most notorious ones (Rhododendron ponticum and Japanese knotweed) need fairly specific conditions to become exclusive. Are there any others that reach even that level? I can't think of any, offhand. Even natural lime or oak woods were/are rarely pure. Now is the time to quote Douglas Adams .... Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
Giant Hog Weed
In message , Brian Robertson
writes Hog Weed is fairly rare in my experience, but it spreads. (Yes I did mean 12') Knot weed I find to be depressingly problematic, virtually closing some paths when in full bloom and wiping out the other plant life around it. Balsalm is just everywhere and, like Knot Weed, seems to wipe out the competition. I think they are all introduced. No, they aren't taking over the UK, but they do seem to be leaving deep and unpleasant scars. Brian. I have only seen giant Hog Weed in one area, (must repeat that local walk some time and check again). I spend a couple of hours each week as a volunteer on conservation work in a local country park, and most of the time I have been a member of the group has been spent removing introduced species like rhododendron and Indian balsam. The latter IS taking over in low-lying areas especially close to the river, and only when it is pulled up in Summer does the other vegetation manage to recover. We usually have about 12 members plus two or three wardens engaged in the work, and that is not enough to clear the whole park of the stuff, which is over 6ft tall in some places. Last week the effort was concentrated on clearing it from an area where it was concealing the Japanese Knot Weed, which will be the job of the wardens to tackle with injected "stuff" which requires them to apply for a licence every year. In the areas which have been cleared, ferns, foxglove and various wildflowers thrive, but balsam overwhelms just about everything, including nettles, where it grows unchecked. :-( - Gordon H Remove "invalid" to reply |
Giant Hog Weed
Gordon H wrote:
In message , Brian Robertson writes Hog Weed is fairly rare in my experience, but it spreads. (Yes I did mean 12') Knot weed I find to be depressingly problematic, virtually closing some paths when in full bloom and wiping out the other plant life around it. Balsalm is just everywhere and, like Knot Weed, seems to wipe out the competition. I think they are all introduced. No, they aren't taking over the UK, but they do seem to be leaving deep and unpleasant scars. Brian. I have only seen giant Hog Weed in one area, (must repeat that local walk some time and check again). I spend a couple of hours each week as a volunteer on conservation work in a local country park, and most of the time I have been a member of the group has been spent removing introduced species like rhododendron and Indian balsam. The latter IS taking over in low-lying areas especially close to the river, and only when it is pulled up in Summer does the other vegetation manage to recover. We usually have about 12 members plus two or three wardens engaged in the work, and that is not enough to clear the whole park of the stuff, which is over 6ft tall in some places. Last week the effort was concentrated on clearing it from an area where it was concealing the Japanese Knot Weed, which will be the job of the wardens to tackle with injected "stuff" which requires them to apply for a licence every year. In the areas which have been cleared, ferns, foxglove and various wildflowers thrive, but balsam overwhelms just about everything, including nettles, where it grows unchecked. :-( - Gordon H Remove "invalid" to reply Glad you agree with me! Tameside volunteer wardens seem to devote a massive amount of time to fighting balsalm and I have seen parts of the Bollin Valley in Cheshire where there is hogweed like a forest along the river banks. Thoroughly unpleasant species IMHO. Brian. |
Giant Hog Weed
In article , Brian Robertson writes: | | I spend a couple of hours each week as a volunteer on conservation work | in a local country park, and most of the time I have been a member of | the group has been spent removing introduced species like rhododendron | and Indian balsam. | The latter IS taking over in low-lying areas especially close to the | river, and only when it is pulled up in Summer does the other vegetation | manage to recover. What climatic conditions? I.e. location? Where I have seen Himalayan balsam, it has been fairly sparse; I know that it needs lots of water and dislikes shade, but there is more to it than that. From your reference to rhododendron, I assume that you are posting from the west and not too far north, as Rhododendron ponticum is not a problem elsewhere. If recent years become typical, that may change, but some other species would invade the previously dry areas if they didn't. I have never heard of hogweed growing densely, though I can't rule out the possibility. It really doesn't help daemonising such plants! The UK countryside ISN'T under threat from them, though a few ecologies in a few areas may be. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
Giant Hog Weed
In article , echinosum writes: | | Ground elder is a xxxxxx. And there is a thing called Alexanders which | is a nuisance in some areas. But they are not an ecological problem, and are native anyway! | Introduced animals are much more frequently a problem - the zoological | niche is more crowded and in-comers more frequently displace the locals | without man's further assistance. Grrk. Not quite. That's actually the CONVERSE of the problem! We have such a restricted set of many types of animal that it is easy for an introduced one to find an unoccupied niche - which may then lead to excessive numbers and consequent problems to already scarce species. For example, the reason that roe deer, muntjac and mink spread so easily is that fox and cat are the only common 'large' carnivores. It has been observed that mink don't spread much into areas with an established otter population, for example. And little owls and collared doves spread because of the lack of predatory birds. This is why the anti-lynx brigade are so wrong - NOT reintroducing lynx is as risky as introducing it. | Britain used to have native rhododendrons before the ice ages. | Unfortunately those kinds are now globally extinct. And we had all | sorts of wonderful animals like hippos and elephants and hyenas and | things. Yes. I should like to see them restored :-) Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
Giant Hog Weed
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Quote:
But in general, you are right, we have about 2000 introduced plant species, and very few are a nuisance, and very few other plants have become extinct as a consequence of introductions. Local botanical ecological niches don't seem to be very crowded (when man doesn't utterly destroy it), there seems to be plenty of room for more in it. Of course if man is totally destroying the plant habitats, it can be different. There is very little native vegetation left in many countries like Chile and Tahiti and Madagascar and large parts of USA and Canada, but this is because man destroyed it, not because of displacement by introductions. Introduced animals are much more frequently a problem - the zoological niche is more crowded and in-comers more frequently displace the locals without man's further assistance. Britain used to have native rhododendrons before the ice ages. Unfortunately those kinds are now globally extinct. And we had all sorts of wonderful animals like hippos and elephants and hyenas and things. |
Giant Hog Weed
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Giant Hog Weed
The message
from Brian Robertson contains these words: Shame. There ain't no money to stop it. Coo! Will it stop for money? thinks I wonder if anyone would pay *ME* to stop? /thinks -- Rusty Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk Separator in search of a sig |
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