WITH the foot and mouth outbreak showing no signs of ending in the Ribble Valley, it makes no sense to roam the countryside in search of records.

There are some areas, however, which are safe to explore.

The dominant plant at the moment is Himalayan balsam, which is likely to become even more dominant as July is followed by August and September.

Himalayan balsam is an example of what is known as an invasive species.

These include giant hogweed and Japanese knotweed and are a problem to those involved involved in countryside management.

The history of Himalayan balsam in Britain is fascinating.

As its name implies, this plant is native to the western Himalayas and can grow up to 10 feet tall.

It is a very attractive plant and in 1839 it was brought to England by enthusiastic gardeners.

At first they thought that it was so delicate that they cultivated it in greenhouses and it brought very high prices as landowners competed for specimens.

After a while it was discovered that Himalayan balsam was a tough plant which grew well along rivers, even those which were heavily polluted.

These days the balsam is the most common plant and in some areas it blocks canals.

On some rivers it has impeded the movement of water to such an extent that flooding has occurred.

The shape of the flowers has given it the name of Policeman's Helmet and the fact that the seeds are dispersed by an explosive mechanism within the fruit accounts for other names.

These are Jumping Jack, Touch-Me-Not and Catapult Plant.