Will it ever stop raining? Undeterred by the inclement weather our indomitable spirited community volunteers once again climbed into their waders, pulled on long rubber gloves and ventured out into Morston Pond in an effort to rid ourselves of Crassula and Parrot's Feather.
With the water level (thankfully) still high, the tender was used to navigate towards the mounds of Parrot's Feather in the deepest areas. The meticulous and thoughtful use of the tender has the added benefit of not having heavy, wader boots trampling down (and therefore bedding down) Crassula. Otherwise, floating buckets we used to gather and then transport the netted Crassula to the bankside.
There are two things to consider when removing both species, particularly Crassula:
firstly trying to remove the plant by it's root (a difficult task in deep water). Using buckets with holes pierced in the bottom) the Crassula is able to drain as much as possible before being piled onto a mound at bank side, on up-turned baker's crates. This allows us to let the plant dry over the week, making it so much easier to bag for removal at the following S.W.A.M.P. session.
Secondly, our work naturally means there is floating debris of Crassula leaves which needs attending befiore the plant has a chance to root and spread. This means following along with nets to scoop and capture the detritus.
Keep an eye on these pages for further S.W.A.M.P. sessions at Morston Pond and feel free to contact us or join us in our community efforts.
Comments