Common Carder visiting a Himalayan Balsam plant along the banks of the River Frome in Bristol where it is regarded as an invasive weed.

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Himalayan Balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) is an invasive weed that grows prolifically along the banks of the River Frome in Bristol, out-competing native plants. I was about to pull this clump up until I saw this Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum) visiting. With bees in such trouble it can seem wrong to deny them a valuable source of nectar. It's a real convservation dilema. I think I ended up pulling up a few and leaving some. My garden is very nearby so I I have also planted native waters edge plants as a replacement.

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Size: 4288px × 2848px
Location: Bristol
Photo credit: © Jez Toogood / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

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