Riff Raff Diary for May 2013

Published on: 14 Jun, 2013
Updated on: 14 Jun, 2013

Riff Raff Cottage and Weir

Riverbank tales from our local St Catherine’s Lengthsman/Weirkeeper

by Robert Craig

May has been a month for getting on with strimming and mowing and not for painting with the damp weather continuing.The vegetation puts on a lot of growth at this time of year so there is plenty to do in order to keep on top of it.

Indian or Himalayan Balsam

At the beginning of June myself and a group of volunteers commenced the annual battle with the invasive Himalayan Balsam, working in the Stonebridge and Broadford area we shall be pulling up as much as possible of this annual to prevent it from seeding.

Along the towpath there are some very attractive flowers to be seen including the striking yellow flag iris. Also the damselflies started to appear towards the end of May.

On the bird front, there have been Hobby’s seen and in the meadows surrounding the river there are good numbers of Warblers nesting. Along the towpath I have heard the distinctive mechanical rapid song of the Grasshopper Warbler, a first for me.

Towards the end of May on one particular day near Broadford the air was thick with thousands of Mayflies, many had found themselves trapped on the surface of the water, and the birds would have had a feast that day.