Invasive Himalayan balsam feeds on air pollution, chokes native flowers

The Himalayan balsam, which was introduced to the UK in 1839, is more frequently reported than some native plants, according to an annual survey of wild plants in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The National Plant Monitoring Scheme is the UK’s biggest wild plant survey and hundreds of volunteers study local wildflower patches across 30 different habitats from woodlands to heathlands starting in March and ending in September. Conservation charity Plantlife is one of the many enterprises that help run the NPMS, and recently the …