Reedmace versus Bulrush

Reedmace Typha latifolia (Fr. Massette) is the plant with the brown cylindrical seedheads that grows on the edge of ponds. It is called Cattail in North America, Cumbungi in Australia, and often, everywhere, now called Bulrush. But it is a reed, not a rush. Rushes are a different family.

 

Reedmace on the village pond (Fr. plan d'eau) in Preuilly.

 The 'bul' of Bulrush means 'big', and true bulrush is exactly that -- a gigantic rush.

 

 Bulrush on the edge of the étang (dam) at le Louroux. This is a nature reserve.

The confusion started in the 19th century, with  mass produced illustrated Bibles. For some reason Moses was depicted amongst the reedmace. Ironically, the plant the illustrators should have been depicting was actually a Papyrus.

 

 Reedmace.

In prehistoric times the rhizomes of Reedmace were eaten, in hunter-gatherer societies over 30 000 years ago. The plant was abundant and full of starch. In the 19th century there are accounts of it being used as low quality forage for horses in France, and pigs apparently adored the rhizomes. The leaves could also be dried and woven as chair seats. In modern times they are sometimes grown in natural water purification systems and the plant can be seen on the edges of many fresh water ponds. 

 

 A variety of plants, including both bulrush (left) and reedmace (right), in a phytopurification water filtration station at the Moulin de Malicorne (a private home).

Bulrush Schoenoplectus lacustris (Fr. Jonc des chaisiers) was once abundant and much valued as the raw material for cords, woven or plaited mats, wall coverings and chair seats. Harvesting the plants, processing and transforming them was an important artisanal skill. Nowadays, those skills are lost and the plant is rare. Where it is present it is generally protected.  

 

 Rush matting at the Chateau d'Azay le Rideau.

Today the buzz word you will see associated with bulrushes is 'paludiculture'. That's when peat wetland is used as a cultivated carbon sink. Drones are used to distribute the seed of reedmace, bulrush and other plants that can be used commercially if peatbog is exploited. The fluffy reedmace seed heads are harvested to be used as insulation in 'down' jackets, and the bulrush is being used in construction materials. Unfortunately both plants are being referred to by journalists as 'bulrush' so it can be confusing.

 

 Bulrush on the edge of an étang at Chambon, on a ZNIEFF (site of special scientific interest).

2026 Holiday Day 14

Hamburg to Eisenach. Bach and Eeemers. (I could have said Bach to Beemers to be alliterative, but that definitely would have been wrong, and the first car is a Dixi, anyway.)

Distance covered 374km (plus about 200km in Hamburg & Lubeck)

Cumulative total 2160km@ 55km/h

What To Do With a Colony of Bees or Wasps

We have honey bees Apis mellifera living in a crevice between our attic and bedroom, and another colony living above our garage. We have social wasps Vespula sp living in a crevice in the wall above our back door. What are we doing about it? Nothing. And here's why:

The wasps and the bees don't have an amical relationship. When individual bees get old and start staggering around the courtyard the wasps are right there to 'clean up'. But neither wasps nor bees are interested in us, and they rarely venture inside the house. In both cases they installed themselves before we realised what was going on. Then it's too late. Ours is a very typical situation, and luckily in both cases the insects have chosen places where they can just get on with things undisturbed by us. Really the only time social insect colonies need to be moved on or eradicated is when they move into awkward places like chimneys and the space between windows and shutters. Fortunately bumble bees rarely make nest site choices that bring them into conflict with man, but social wasps (paper wasps, 'yellow jackets' and the like), hornets and honey bees quite often do. It doesn't help that people are scared of them, a few people are dangerously allergic to them, and your idea of an awkward place might not coincide with mine.

 

A swarm of Honey Bees moving in to the gap between our bedroom and the attic.

Removing colonies alive is possible, but messy and expensive. Your house insurance might cover it if you are lucky. So most removals are done at the expense of the lives of the insects and they are poisoned before the nest is removed. To do this legally in the case of honey bees you need to establish there is a genuine safety risk for people. A good professional pest controller should mostly refuse to eradicate colonies.

 

My apiarist friend Bernard removing a colony of Honey Bees Apis mellifera (Fr. Abeilles domestiques) from a window.

So now you are asking 'Why remove the nest if the insects are dead?' Well, a colony of dead larvae is an easy target for other predatory insects. An abandoned store of honey is easy work for other honey bees to rob. They don't know it's poisoned, they will be poisoned, and their colony that they take the bounty back to will be poisoned in their turn. It is not legal to contaminate the food chain and so the entire nest needs to be removed to prevent it being robbed.

 

European Wasps Vespula germanica (Fr. Guêpe germanique).

You would be mistaken to think that blocking access to the nest is sufficient to protect the food chain. It's virtually impossible to identify and effectively block all the possible access holes. I know it would be at our place, with its crumbling mortar, decaying timber and worn stone walls. Added to that, with the current cycle of drought and flood the building will move and gaps will appear. Once one bee or wasp has found the free food, the whole of their colony will arrive to collect it within days.

 

One of the wasps preying on an old dying Honey Bee in our courtyard.

For what to do about a swarm of honey bees ie when the colony is out in the open looking for a new home but not yet installed, read my blog post: What to do About a Swarm of Bees.

2026 Holiday Day 13

The Hanseatic city of Lubeck. They did like their bricks.

2026 Holiday Day 12

Fischmarkt on a Sunday morning. Fish sandwich, coffee, and a strawberry croissant whilst being entertained by intergenerational euro-power-pop ballads.

After lunch at the only traditional Brewhouse in Hamburg we went to the Prototype Museum.

2026 Holiday Day 11

The Hamburg Flaktower.

The back to the apartment for a couple of hours of feet-up.

2026 Holiday Day 10

Yesterday our main plan was visiting the Altonaer Museum. The original intention was to visit Heligoland, but as soon as we arrived in Hamburg it became obvious that the weather wasn't going to co-operate.

We lunched at LUX-kantine, the city's restaurant for it's employees, people on low incomes - and visitors who pay a donation towards its operations : 1€. It's still incredibly good value.

The Altonaer Museum is likewise great value, the highlight for us being the old house interiors. Being old house interiors they're as dark as a boot, so pictures don't work.

Near the Altonaer station is an allegorical statue showing the towns of Altonaer and Hamburg fighting over fishing rights.

2026 Holiday Day 9

Model trains and Tchaikovsky.

After Minatur Wuderland we went to a concert.

The view from our seats