Knotty problem of countryside invader
IF you look at this beautiful picture here, it is surely the epitome of Middle England in early July and although many of the flowers, including wild garlic and bluebells have died back, the flush of glorious greens can lift one’s spirits on the darkest of days, especially when wrens, long-tailed tits and tree-creepers crisscross the glade and a cheeky weasel sticks his head out of the undergrowth for a nosey.
And all in Top Mossley, but sorry to say there is a fatal flaw.
At face value it is true, but for the fact that the scene could just as accurately be described as Middle Japan and the invasive and non-native Japanese knotweed filling the foreground is a blight on our countryside.
In the 1840s a Dutch doctor called Phillipe von Siebold brought the knotweed over to Britain.
He began selling the plant to botanical gardens and high society figures. and, by 1869, it became available for public sale, farmers started using it as feed for their animals and then, in the late 19th century, Japanese knotweed was unleashed on our gardens.
Encouraged to buy at the time, it was described as, ‘a capital plant for small-town gardeners’.
However, perceptions soon changed.
In 1981, the Wildlife and Country Act made it an offence to introduce Japanese Knotweed into wild spaces and a survey in 1998 showed that in the Swansea area alone, the weed-covered an area of 99 hectares.
In 2011, aphids were released in Swansea to try and combat the crazed plant, without much luck.
The velodrome and pool areas of the 2012 Olympics were plagued with the plant and an estimated £100 Million was spent over four years trying to get rid of the exotic intruder.
The plant is virtually unstoppable and known to break out through concrete.
I like to call it the Lazarus of the plant world and a latter-day triffid and while not as deadly as John Wyndam’s unlikely man-eating plant from his 1951 novel, ‘The Day of the Triffids’, it sure is an unwelcome guest in this country.
Knotweed is not on its own though and it has been a bugbear of mine for over 40 years as a wildlife writer.
For example, if I could press a button and the following non-native species vanish, consider it pressed; grey squirrel, mink, signal crayfish and Canada goose among them.
There was some hope last year I thought when the Government were presented with a new report by the Environmental Audit Committee, when chairman, Philip Dunne, said: “The UK is spending an enormous £1.8 billion a year responding to the impact of invasive species and more preventative action must be taken to protect our environment and the economy.”
“From a Nature Volunteer Force to track invasive species, to introducing an inspectorate and boosting awareness amongst the general public – these are all steps recommended by the Committee that could make a significant difference and it is promising the Government is considering them.
“We will continue to monitor progress of the Government in this area to ensure the necessary steps are taken to protect our crops, forests and wider biodiversity from harmful invasive species.”
As readers may imagine the events of 2020 have ensured that any action will have been confined to the compost heap of history.
The plant spreads by vegetative means, rather than by seed dispersal and rhizomes may grow from either an existing crown, where previous growth has taken place, or from a cut stem. New outbreaks of knotweed generally result from fragments of rhizomes within soils being moved from site to site.
This can be because of gardening and DIY projects, fly-tipping or by natural processes.
It’s important to dispose of any fragments of the plant at a suitably licenced landfill or better still contact the experts and speak to your bank manager.
It will not be cheap.
On a lighter note, it turns out that knotweed is edible - honest - so please check out www.backyardforager.com for all manner of Knotweed recipes.
Apparently it tastes a bit like lemony rhubarb, is an impressive source of vitamins A, C, potassium, zinc, phosphorus as manganese and the internet is full of recipes for things to do with it in the kitchen.
It is also used in its native countries to treat respiratory disorders.
Aside from this, it has been found to be effective in treating Lyme disease and its symptoms such as inflammation and swelling of the joints.
Hang on a minute, there may be more to this Triffid than meets the eye.