Himalayan Balsam                            Taken at Baron's Haugh on 8th August 2019 using Panasonic Lumix LX5 in macro mode. Taken at Strathclyde Park on 2nd August 2023 using Panasonic Lumix TZ70 in macro mode. Taken at Lochwinnoch  on 1st August 2021 using Nikon D500 with Sigma 600 mm zoom lens. Taken at Ardmore Point on 14th August 2020 using Panasonic Lumix LX5 in macro mode. Taken at Baron's Haugh on 31st August 2018 using Panasonic Lumix LX5 in macro mode. Himalayan Balsam. Specie : Order: Family: Habit: AKA: Impatiens glandulifera. Ericales. Balsaminaceae. Annual. Policeman's helmet. Habitat: Blooms: Height: Feature: Damp places like riverbanks, ditches, cultivated and waste land. July-August. 1-3m high. Because of its shape this flower is also known as Policeman's Helmet. It is not a native of Britain having been brought here during the nineteenth century as a greenhouse plant. It escaped and spread uncontrollably due to its seed dispersal method, where exploding seed pods blast showers of seed huge distances.