Himalayan Balsam: 2020
May 4th, 2020General: Work covers the fields that stretch some 1.1Km along the river. Areas are labelled {1,2,3 and 4} and page numbers respectively show a map of the area and the work carried out. Areas are numbered from, north to south (1&2), south-west (3) and west (4)
Area 1
Area 1 is partitioned as follows:
yellow Part of the top field east to the drainage channel of the lower field.
green This is the lower field, between west, south and east drainage channels.
blue The line indicates the western edge of the bund
orange Area 2
- August 23rd
Area 1 blue : 1 At the far north of the bund - August 12th
Area 1 blue : 2 At the far north of the bund. - August 11th Cleared a path to and along the bund, Area 1 blue
Area 1 blue : 0
Area 1 green : 0
Area 1 yellow : 0 - June 22nd Cleared a path to and along the bund, Area 1 blue
Area 1 blue : 0
Area 1 green : 0
Area 1 yellow : 0 - May 5th Cleared a path to and along the bund, Area 1 blue
Area 1 blue : 0
Area 1 green : 0
Area 1 yellow : 0
Area 2
The main reason for the grid is that Area 2 covers three major problems, which may not be the last, namely
a) The large patch of Japanese Knotweed (E8)
b) The failure of the bund by the Japanese Knotweed (E9)
c) A major break in the bund (F3/F4)
The southern end of Area2 is 35m from the drain that separates the lower fields Area2 and Area3 or 25m from the damaged bund drain.
- Sept 18th 1 F4 on the riparian south side of the breach.
- Sept 16th 3 F6
- Aug 23rd 15 F5 (2) :: G3(1) right on river edge :: D1(10) on Trekensa side of drain :: F1(1) :: F4(1)
- Aug 13th 13 In the south east of the field opposite the Japanese knotweed patch.
- Aug 12th 46 In the field from just above the breach (5) Just below the breach(2) etc. down to the southern end. Patchy 5, 2, 5, 15, 2, 17 There are still a few more opposite the Japanese knotweed patch.
- August 12th Cleared path from Do to T4 with 2 bladed brushcutter.
- August 11th Cleared remainder of bund working south to the breach with 2 bladed brushcutter.
F0 (16)
F1 (12)
F2 (2)
F3 (5) - August 10th 1 South east corner of field by the drain
- June 20th 1 Found one in the Japanese knotweed patch
- June 18th Cleared the bund to the drain.
- May 15th Cleared the bund from F0 to F3 (the turning point to the breach
- May 4th 1 Given Tuai had said the plants were chest high around the water ways in Bristol I had a proper look and found one about a foot high in the Japanese Knotweed patch at E8
- May 3rd Cleared with brushcutter up to the breach
Area 3
- Aug 13th 21Four in the northeast corner, the remainder a couple of patches some dozens of metres south.
- Aug 10th 33 Northeast corner of field by the drain
- Aug 9th 61 Northeast corner of field by the drain
- Aug 8th 6 Two thirds along the bund in the field
Area 4 is 7 acres of reed bed and carr that stretches west from the boat.
Area 5 is the small triangle field
Trespass 2019
May 16th, 2018To document both occult and known trespassing cases.
See also SSSI
2019
- 19th May SeeThe Ditch to Okel Torfor more images when the tide is out and in at 4.5m
- 18th May Cleared ditch that had collapsed, no doubt partly due to trespassers damaging the bund.
- 10th May Placed sign to signify there is no right of way to the public and that the area is an SSSI with invasive plants at where I think an entry point being established.
https://calstock.org.uk/2019/05/19/the-ditch-to-okel-tor - 8th May Reported incident of 3rd May to the police and sent ann online message to http://cfs.btck.co.uk/Contact%20us to see if someone will listen to my concerns.
- 3 May Branch of apple tree that reached over the bund has been cut by someone to improve their walking habit. The clear cut shows intent as a saw was obviously carried.
Blood Suckers > Ticks et alia
April 14th, 2016And I don't mean us humans that consume anything, anywhere at anytime but those little buggers that feed on us, or in this case me. I've been the source of food for many ticks, horse-flies, and mosquitoes.
Although horseflys and to a lesser degree, mosquitoes, cause initial bites and prolonged swelling unlike ticks they do not stay attached given their ability to fly.
Ticks: although sometimes feeding for days before discovery, being small are fairly easily removed; although care has to be taken not to leave their mouth claws embedded in the skin as this may lead to infection. There is always the possibility of contractingLyme's disease(which I hope I haven't as " . . . development of infection is rare" . . . "1 in 50") Diagnosis
Recently (Feb 2016) I had an itchy area on the inside of my left wrist. It took some weeks before I took serious action. (Update May 2017: Still have a tendency for left wrist to be itchy, seems like either a virus or immune issue?) I thought it may be scabies as they breed under the skin and cannot be removed like ticks.
Before Treatment
Scabies are not as such, blood suckers, but burrow beneath the skin to lay eggs and they are not, as I imagined, likely to come from other animals as those are different and not so viable, although see the final paragraph copied below.
No doubt a better term would be flesh eaters though I have found no detail on their diet. Other than a few extracts from wikipedia below a lengthy document can be downloaded from https://www.michigan.gov/documents/scabies_manual_130866_7.pdf
"A number of medications are available to treat those infected, including permethrin, crotamiton, and lindane creams and ivermectin.[6] Sexual contacts within the last month and people who live in the same house should also be treated at the same time.[10] Bedding and clothing used in the last three days should be washed in hot water and dried in a hot dryer.[10] As the mite does not live for more than three days away from human skin, more washing is not needed.[10] Symptoms may continue for two to four weeks following treatment.[10] If after this time symptoms continue, retreatment may be needed.[10]"
. . .
"Permethrin is the most effective treatment for scabies,[34] and remains the treatment of choice.[11][35] It is applied from the neck down, usually before bedtime, and left on for about eight to 14 hours, then washed off in the morning.[11] Care should be taken to coat the entire skin surface, not just symptomatic areas; any patch of skin left untreated can provide a "safe haven" for one or more mites to survive. One application is normally sufficient, as permethrin kills eggs and hatchlings, as well as adult mites, though many physicians recommend a second application three to seven days later as a precaution. Crusted scabies may require multiple applications, or supplemental treatment with oral ivermectin (below).[11][35][36] Permethrin may cause slight irritation of the skin that is usually tolerable.[16]"
. . .
"The most frequently diagnosed form of scabies in domestic animals is sarcoptic mange, caused by the subspecies Sarcoptes scabiei canis, most commonly in dogs and cats. Sarcoptic mange is transmissible to humans who come into prolonged contact with infested animals,[55] and is distinguished from human scabies by its distribution on skin surfaces covered by clothing."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scabies
See Borax treatment