Page 6 - Oundle Life Sept 2022

PARK LIFE
Barnwell Country Park
The rangers and volunteers have had a very busy summer at Barnwell Country Park. Following the Steam Rally in July and all the work that went into making it a success, the team then moved onto an important summer job: pulling Himalayan Balsam.
This is a non-native invasive species which visitors may have seen growing along the riverbanks. It has a pretty pink flower, which is popular with bees, however the plant takes over the riverbank preventing almost everything else from growing. The balsam has very shallow roots, making it easy to pull out, but it also does very little to stabilise the banks against erosion. By pulling the plant before the seed pods explode (they can fire their seeds up to seven meters!) it prevents it from growing the next year.
Three years ago the Himalayan Balsam was present along most of the riverbank, however, thanks to the efforts of our volunteers a significant section is now balsam-free, allowing native vegetation to grow again along the river. Visitors will hopefully notice a distinct lack
of pink along the riverbank from Lowlands bird hide towards West Meadow! Efforts this year have focussed on the section from West Meadow towards South Bridge.
Looking for an excuse to get out? There is always plenty to do in the park, with activities for both children and adults, many run by our Active Parks team.
To find out about events and all the latest information, visit our website at www.northamptonshireparks.co.uk
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