We went for a ride out yesterday afternoon and I thought we’d have a look at Budby Flash. All was not well.
The smell should have alerted me, a very ripe and festering cabbagey sort of smell. However, it didn’t, and as I scanned the pond, looking at a few apathetic mallard, it was Julia’s observation from the other side of the bridge that alerted me to the full horror of the situation – “I don’t think the Kingfisher will be diving into this lot!”
I had a look at the other side of the Flash, and was amazed at what I saw – acres of blanket weed. Thick weed, too, not just a light covering but swathes of weed several inches thick.
In the distance a Moorhen was actually walking on the weed instead of swimming.
It’s a hazard to fish, though the few we saw seemed healthy enough, and I’m not sure what, if anything anyone will do about it. So there you are – a useless report, which proves that facts, though factual, are not necessarily interesting.
I could use that as a subtitle.
Blanket Weed
Blanket Weed
Vile Vista of Blanket Weed
Geese coming in to land – Budby Flash
Yup, I was thinking the same thing as Lisa. Looks like something out of a horror movie. Happens in Maine, too. We know better. Why don’t we do better?
I’m afraid the chemicals that cause it might have been applied a long time ago, before we knew quite so much.
Sigh.
I think we’ve known since at least the 1980s… I remember learning about it (phosphate run-off) in chemistry lessons at school!
Quite a dramatic change from your previous post.
A life of contrasts. 🙂
You have made it interesting
Not as interesting as the New Forest! 🙂
🙂
Yeah, it’s horrible, but does it serve a purpose? I though nature had that thing where everything had a place? We have a Nature Stream at the bottom of the garden. (That’s what it said on the details when we w bought the house, it is in fact a drain 😂) It gets covered in the stuff and the ‘boss’ gets me to rake it off. And you think your post was pointless 😂😂😂
Next time you clear it how about trying it as a spinach replacement? Or soup? You could probably blog about it from hospital after the stomach pump.
I think it’s one of those cases where nature is out of control due to too many farm chemicals.
I definitely wouldn’t be munching on the stuff! Clearly, nature is trying to correct itself with the blanket weed but the havoc created is unfair on the aquatic life which lives in an affected stretch of water.
Usually a bloom like that means farm run off or some other thing has put nutrients in the water that shouldn’t be there. Grk. Farm country here is notorious for over-fertilizing and runoff…
Yes, I suspect that is the case.