Get Ready, Set and Sow

Volunteers sowing a cornfield annual mix to provide temporary colour
and nectar sources in Charlie’s Field, New Ferry Butterfly Park. Photo: Hilary Ash

Thanks to all the members and public who voted for the Love Wirral Grant to create a kaleidoscope of flowers on the railway embankment at New Ferry Butterfly Park.

The project application was successful and there will be a public Love Wirral event on Sunday April 13th, from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m.  It is a great opportunity to expand the array of native wildflowers for bees and butterflies along the park’s railway embankment. This will be achieved by planting 150 Primrose, 50 Red Campion and 50 Greater Stitchwort plants. Following on from the blue haze of the established Bluebells, this project will add flashes of yellow and white in late spring and in summer a flash of red producing a kaleidoscope of colour. This will provide extra nectar sources throughout the spring and summer seasons giving butterflies a great energy boost to keep them flying. The embankment will be periodically coppiced to maintain the area for these perennial flowering plants of the woodland and to enable butterflies to use the flowers.

The Kaleidoscope of flowers will be seen by Merseyrail passengers as the trains run by the embankment, subtly advertising the park. A holly hedge will be planted along part of the park’s boundary, which will add to the country feel of the park and to the successful future breeding of Holly Blue butterflies. In addition there will be Betony to plant into the lime waste grassland and Hemp Agrimony into the freshly dug ditches. Also let’s not forget the hungry caterpillar. Sheep’s Sorrel will be planted for the caterpillar of the Small Copper butterfly. Trowels will be provided. 

The park’s regular volunteers will be down at the park from 9.30 a.m. doing some necessary planting preparation work and general tidying up of the park.  You are welcome to join in any time during the day.

Paul Loughnane BEM