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Hazel Brook

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27-694: The Hazel Brook , also known as the Hen , is a tributary of the River Trym in Bristol , England . It rises at Cribbs Causeway in South Gloucestershire . From there, its course takes it south, passing the western end of Filton Aerodrome on its left bank, through Brentry and Henbury before dropping through a steep limestone gorge in the Blaise Castle estate. It continues south through two lakes before joining

54-593: A UK plants survey conducted by the AgriLand project which is supported by the UK Insect Pollinators Initiative. However, when number of flowers per floral unit, flower abundance, and phenology were taken into account, it dropped out of the top ten for most nectar per unit cover per year, as did all plants that placed in the top ten for per-day nectar production per flower, with the exception of common comfrey ( Symphytum officinale ). Himalayan balsam

81-622: A rust fungus in Berkshire, Cornwall and Middlesex in the United Kingdom as part of field trials into the biological control of Himalayan balsam. Some research also suggests that I. glandulifera may exhibit allelopathy , which means that it excretes toxins that negatively affect neighboring plants, thus increasing its competitive advantage. The Royal Horticultural Society and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology recommend that pulling and cutting

108-668: A range of other bushes and shrubs, including hazel, maple, hawthorn and blackthorn. Badock's Meadow, a former prefab housing estate, has been reseeded with native meadow plants including oxeye daisies, yellow rattle, wild carrot and knapweed. Wildlife includes native woodland birds including woodpeckers and owls, also pipistrelle bats. The Blaise Castle estate contains a variety of trees and plant life, also providing cover for birds and small mammals. Further downstream, just above Sea Mills, Himalayan Balsam and Japanese Knotweed , both invasive riverside plants, have established themselves. Ducks and moorhen can be found along many stretches of

135-418: A strong musty smell. Below the leaf stems the plant has glands that produce a sticky, sweet-smelling, and edible nectar. The flowers are pink, with a hooded shape, 3 to 4 cm ( 1 + 1 ⁄ 4  to  1 + 1 ⁄ 2  in) tall and 2 cm ( 3 ⁄ 4  in) broad; the flower shape has been compared to a policeman's helmet . After flowering between June and October,

162-467: Is culverted through Westbury-on-Trym village. A sluice here is used to divert water into a storm drain in times of high rainfall to save the village centre from flooding. The Trym then disappears into culverts, re-emerging at Henbury Golf Club before entering the Blaise Castle estate, where it is joined on the right bank by the Hazel Brook above Coombe Dingle . The remains of Coombe Mill, which

189-526: Is native to the Himalayas, specifically to the areas between Kashmir and Uttarakhand . In its native range it is usually found at altitudes between 2000 and 2500 m above sea level, although it has been reported at up to 4000 m above sea level. In Europe the plant was first introduced into the United Kingdom by John Forbes Royle , professor of medicine at King's College, London who became Superintendent of

216-643: Is now the bend in Coombe Bridge Avenue, and Coombe Mill where the Hazel Brook joins the Trym. An attempt was made in 1712 by the entrepreneur Joshua Franklyn to open a commercial dock at the mouth of the Trym, on the Roman site, but the venture foundered after a few decades. A whale fishery enterprise set up in 1752 was equally short lived. Parts of the dock walls can still be seen. Linguistics sources indicate that

243-514: Is sometimes found growing wild along riverbanks and wetlands. Himalayan balsam is sometimes cultivated for its flowers. It is now widely established in other parts of the world (such as the British Isles and North America), in some cases becoming a weed . Its aggressive seed dispersal, coupled with high nectar production which attracts pollinators, often allows it to out-compete native plants. Himalayan balsam also promotes river bank erosion due to

270-456: Is suboptimal for I. glandulifera , and spring or autumn flooding destroys seeds and plants. The research suggests that the best way to control the spread of riparian Himalayan balsam is to decrease eutrophication , thereby permitting the better-adapted local vegetation, that gets outgrown by the balsam on watercourses with high nutrient load, to rebound naturally. The researchers caution that their conclusions probably do not hold true for stands of

297-650: The Botanic Gardens, Saharanpur, India. It has now become naturalized and widespread across riverbanks. At present it can be found almost everywhere across the continent. In North America it has been found in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland. In the United States it is found on both the east and west coast, seemingly restricted to northern latitudes. In New Zealand it

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324-475: The Trym at Coombe Dingle . Surface run-off in the upper catchment of the Hazel Brook, especially from the large retail centre at Cribbs Causeway , sends a good deal of silt into the system, slowing the flow and creating a risk of flooding downstream in the Trym. This problem has now been partially alleviated by the construction of the Catbrain attenuation reservoir near Cribbs Causeway. Measurements of pollution by

351-488: The UK, and some local wildlife trusts organise "balsam bashing" events to help control the plant. However, a study by Hejda and Pyšek (2006) concluded that, in some circumstances, such efforts may cause more harm than good. Destroying riparian stands of Himalayan balsam can open up the habitat for more aggressive invasive plants such as Japanese knotweed and aid in seed dispersal by dropped seeds sticking to shoes. Riparian habitat

378-531: The city council show the water to be relatively clean. This article related to a river in England is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . River Trym The River Trym is a short river, some 4.5 miles (7.2 km) in length, which rises in Filton , South Gloucestershire , England . The upper reaches are culverted , some underground, through mostly urban landscapes, but once it emerges into

405-623: The construction of the Catbrain attenuation reservoir near Cribbs Causeway. Measurements of pollution by the city council show the water to be relatively clean. Impatiens glandulifera Impatiens glandulifera , Himalayan balsam , is a large annual plant native to the Himalayas . Via human introduction it is now present across much of the Northern Hemisphere and is considered an invasive species in many areas. Uprooting or cutting

432-525: The main river Avon, which simply means 'river' in British Celtic . Abona was a staging point for the Roman invasion of Wales and was at the western end of the Roman road from Silchester . By the 15th century there was a water mill just above the tidal limit of the Trym. In later centuries there were also two water mills in Coombe Dingle: Clack Mill (also known as Black Mill) beside what

459-506: The name Trym may derive from the Anglo-Saxon, meaning 'firm' or 'strong' one'. The flow of the river has decreased in power in recent years, partly because of surface run-off in the upper catchment of the Hazel Brook, especially from the large retail centre at Cribbs Causeway . The run-off sends a good deal of silt into the system, slowing the flow and creating a risk of flooding downstream. This problem has now been partially alleviated by

486-656: The open it flows through a nature reserve and city parks before joining the tidal River Avon at Sea Mills . A medieval water mill near its mouth gave the area its name. Abona was a Roman port at the mouth of the Trym which provided an embarkation point for journeys across the River Severn to south Wales . In the 18th century there were short lived attempts at creating a port and a whale fishery here. The name Trym appears to have Anglo-Saxon roots. In recent years silting problems, caused by urban development, have caused some difficulties, but alleviation works have helped reduce

513-545: The plant at forest edges and meadow habitats, where manual destruction is still the best approach. The Bionic Control of Invasive Weeds project, in Wiesbaden , Germany, is trying to establish a self-sufficient means of conserving their local biodiversity by developing several food products made from the Himalayan balsam flowers. If all goes well, the project will have it financing its own eradication. In August 2014, CABI released

540-534: The plant dying back over winter, leaving the bank unprotected from flooding. Invasive Himalayan balsam can also adversely affect indigenous species by attracting pollinators (e.g. insects) at the expense of indigenous species. It is considered a "prohibited noxious weed" under the Alberta Weed Control Act 2010 . In the UK, the plant was first introduced in 1839, at the same time as giant hogweed and Japanese knotweed . These plants were all promoted at

567-432: The plant forms seed pods 2 to 3 cm ( 3 ⁄ 4 to 1 + 1 ⁄ 4  in) long and 8 mm broad ( 1 ⁄ 4  in), which explode when disturbed, scattering the seeds up to 7 metres (23 feet). The green seed pods, seeds, young leaves and shoots are all edible. The flowers can be turned into a jam or parfait . The plant was rated in first place for per day nectar production per flower in

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594-436: The plant's native Himalayan mountains. Ornamental jewelweed refers to its cultivation as an ornamental plant. The specific epithet glandulifera is a compound word from glándula meaning 'small gland', and ferre meaning 'to bear'. It typically grows to 1 to 2 m (3.3 to 6.6 ft) high, with a soft green or red-tinged stem, and lanceolate leaves 5 to 23 cm (2.0 to 9.1 in) long. The crushed foliage has

621-543: The plants is an effective means of control. In Europe, Himalayan balsam has been included since 2017 in the list of Invasive Alien Species of Union concern (the Union list). This implies that the species cannot be imported, cultivated, transported, commercialized, planted, or intentionally released into the environment in the whole of the European Union. The common names Himalayan balsam and kiss-me-on-the-mountain refer to

648-526: The problem. The Trym rises near Filton in South Gloucestershire, in the area of Filton Golf Club, and much of its upper course is culverted underneath 20th century housing. It surfaces in the Bristol suburb of Southmead , then flows open through Badock's Wood nature reserve . Just south of here is Henleaze Swimming Lake, a former quarry fed by springs, the overflow running into the Trym. The river

675-583: The river, with gulls and estuary birds near the mouth. A pollution incident by Wessex Water which allowed sewage to flow into the Trym in 2001, killing eels, sticklebacks and invertebrates, resulted in a fine following prosecution by the Environment Agency . Other pollution incidents have followed. At the confluence of the Trym with the Avon was the Roman port and small town of Abona , which took its name from

702-417: The time as having the virtues of "herculean proportions" and "splendid invasiveness" which meant that ordinary people could buy them for the cost of a packet of seeds to rival the expensive orchids grown in the greenhouses of the rich. Within ten years, however, Himalayan balsam had escaped from the confines of cultivation and begun to spread along the river systems of England. It has now spread across most of

729-677: Was fed by both the Hazel Brook and the Trym, can be seen here. Passing under Dingle Road bridge, the river then flows through Sea Mills river park, passing under the Portway and the Severn Beach railway line before joining the river Avon . A weir under the Portway prevents flooding upstream, except during the highest spring tides . Badock's Wood in Southmead is a nature reserve managed by Bristol City Council . Areas of beech, oak and ash woodland support

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