Hundreds of endangered frogs have survived after reintroduction to the wild in Victoria
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The Sun
10 hours ago
- The Sun
Why you need to put salt on your driveway this weekend to save yourself hours doing a boring chore
FOR those who hate gardening but hate the sight of weeds more, listen up. A gardening expert has shared the job you need to get done this weekend to prevent yourself from spending hours on a boring chore. 1 According to experts at Good Grow UK, there's a super easy way to banish weeds from your driveway without any hard labour. The experts have urged gardeners to sprinkle salt on their driveways this summer in a bid to banish weeds without using harsh chemicals. Weeds are a constant, unwanted pain in warm weather which gives them the perfect conditions to thrive. Through spring to autumn, homeowners lucky enough to have a driveway will see them sneak through paving stone cracks. Before you know it, your driveway is covered in them. While many gardeners turn to chemical solutions like weedkillers, which are fast acting and long lasting, they do have some setbacks. They can be expensive to buy and often kill everything they touch, including beneficial wildlife like bees and butterflies. But sprinkling table salt over your driveway will get rid of weeds without harming wildlife. The experts say: "Salt is a cheap, effective way to kill weeds and keep them gone. "It's versatile too, you can simply spread the salt by hand or dissolve it in water and spray it onto the ground. I had loads of irritating weeds popping up between my patio slabs - a free hack killed them instantly and they haven't grown back 'In general your weeds should start to die within 3-10 days. 'Salt kills weeds by causing them to dehydrate. When plants are exposed to salt for long periods of time, they lose water and die. The amount of salt needed will vary depending on the type of plant being treated. 'You don't need a special kind of salt, table salt works just fine. 'Using salt to kill those small pesky weeds between the gaps in your paths?" the experts asked. "Or maybe your gravel drive is infested with the blighters either way salt will be effective against smaller weeds in 10 days." You can buy 750g of table salt for as little as 65p in Sainsbury's to cover your entire driveway.
BBC News
16 hours ago
- BBC News
Red squirrels back in Herefordshire after farm opens new enclosure
Red squirrels have made a comeback in Herefordshire after three arrived at a farm's new purpose-built enclosure. The rare animals are believed to be the only ones in the county following their move to Small Breeds Park Farm in Kington from Norfolk as part of a conservation effort. Their arrival on Saturday coincided with the official opening of the farm's new enclosure, where a captive breeding programme will now take Ella Pillidge said she hoped the project would help to bring more red squirrels back to the county. The enclosure opened in March after the farm received a rural tourism grant from the government. Ms Pillidge said the official opening, carried out by Herefordshire's High Sheriff Helen Bowden, would demonstrate how the programme would help the species. She added that the enclosure had "already been a hit" with visitors and said it showed how the farm was "moving forwards". The conservation effort is part of the work carried out by Welsh Mountain Zoo, which helps to protect the zoo has contributed to the successful release of 34 red squirrels, the UK's only native squirrel, into the wild since 1998. Ms Pillidge said the farm wanted to add to the population each year. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
16 hours ago
- BBC News
'Balsam bashers' clear River Lim's invasive Himalayan balsam
"We got to the field and it was just a sea of pink," said retired conservationist Graham Roberts, who is waging a war on Himalayan says he is retired but each summer he leads a team of volunteer "balsam bashers", ripping out the invasive plant that's damaging the eco system on Dorset's River it all seems like an impossible and never-ending task but he's quietly confident they will be able to clear the entire river within five years."We have done almost two seasons," he said. "It's challenging but we will carry on as long as we are fit and able to do it." About 70 people are signed up to River Lim Action - a group campaigning for clean water, fish passage, and working to save native species on the river."We often get 10 or 12 people," said Mr Roberts. "Last weekend we had 17, and we managed to clear a huge field last week."Himalayan balsam was first imported as a garden plant in the late 19th Century but just one plant produces an average of 800 seeds, which can explode when ripe up to 7m (23ft) smothers out native species and its root system fails to bind river banks, making them prone to love it, but it means they are spending less time pollinating native plants. Mr Roberts said the Environment Agency and Dorset Council did not have the resources to tackle the problem, leaving conservation groups and volunteers to step up.A decade-long clearance project on the Lymington River and its tributaries in Hampshire saw 661 volunteers pull Himalayan balsam along 53km (33 miles) of and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust said areas that had once been dense with balsam had been "restored to a carpet of native bluebells, stitchwort and pink campion".Mr Roberts said: "The Lim is a small river, about 5km (3 miles) long, so I'm hoping we can get rid of it."The problem is that seeds can stay dormant for up to three years, which is why we've said five years. "We can clear the surface balsam then, three years on, they've come back a massive amount."River Lim Action is being supported by Lyme Regis Town Council, which has committed five years of funding for gloves, bins, secateurs, and tools to get into the bramble where the balsam is growing."People say it's too big a problem but someone has got to grab it and say it's really important," said Mr Roberts."If we're not careful, the whole of England will be covered in Himalayan balsam." You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
