Cleaver Heath 2025 - An Eventful Year

Two significant events occurred at Cleaver Heath during 2025 that largely determined the nature of the work carried out by the volunteers during the year. Firstly the contractor led heathland restoration project which was part-funded by a very generous grant from Woodchurch High School and which was carried out in February and secondly, the fire which severely damaged the main heather panels during August.

For the restoration project, an area approximately 0.25 hectare in size within the southern part of the reserve that had been covered in bracken and gorse with some birch and very little heather present, was cleared of vegetation to ground level by specialized contractors. After this initial scrape, the plan was for the volunteers to clear regenerating scrub, monitor any existing heather regrowth and spread heather seed collected from other areas of the reserve over the site later in the year to encourage new heather growth.

Contractors working on site at Cleaver Heath

More machinery to help clear the ground for heather regeneration

Although the contractor scraping had removed a significant amount of bracken rhizome, much still remained deeper in the soil and initial volunteer work during March involved digging out and removing as much of the dense underground rhizome network as possible.

Volunteers clearing bracken rhizome

Bracken rhizome

During April and May, sprouting gorse stumps and the first young unfurling bracken fronds from the remaining rhizomes were removed. Further clearance work continued monthly throughout the summer dealing with even more bracken pulling and rosebay willow herb, birch, oak, bramble and fresh gorse seedling removal. A few pioneer stage heather plants were observed.

Removal of gorse stumps using tree-poppers

Uprooted gorse seedlings

In October, seed-containing heather shoots were harvested from other areas of the reserve and spread across the cleared restoration site. Germination and growth of the new heather will be monitored while continuing to keep the site clear of unwanted scrub regrowth.

Fresh heather shoots spread over the restoration area

Heather seeds

The second main but very much unwanted event of the year occurred during August when after many weeks of hot dry weather, significant areas of the heath were severely damaged by fire.

Fire damage at Cleaver Heath

An extensive area of heather was burnt

Remarkably within a couple of months, fresh regrowth of vegetation was apparent across the blackened surfaces. Initially purple moor grass tussocks sprouted followed by other grasses, rosebay willow herb, extensive coverage of germinating gorse seedlings and some bracken.

Regrowth of grasses along edge of footpath

Rosebay Willowherb regrowth

Volunteers are working to control this regrowth to prevent the return of excessive amounts of scrub and invasive species and allow for the hopeful germination of existing heather seed and the growth of underground heather shoots already in the soil They are also cutting down and removing large blackened gorse bushes especially within the lower slopes of the reserve.

Volunteers scraping out surface regrowth

Blackened gorse

One undesirable effect of the fire was to totally remove a significant area of the surface vegetation within the lower heathland slopes thus allowing easy access to this previously inaccessible area for visitors and their dogs. In order to limit this access we have constructed a dead hedge along the edge of the main public footpath which together with some appropriate signage will explain to members of the public why it is important to keep off the burnt areas to encourage the natural recovery of important plants and animals.

Thanks are due to both the Wirral Wildlife and Cheshire Wildlife Trust volunteers who together with Graham Borden-Long, Living Landscape Officer at CWT, have worked hard throughout the year to progress the restoration project and deal with the aftermath of the fire.

John McGaw
Volunteer Reserve Warden Cleaver Heath

Fungal Safari at Hoylake Willows

Earlier this month a Wirral Wildlife member got in touch with us to ask for help identifying the fungus she had photographed on a willow log at Hoylake Willows, near Manor Road station.

What fungus is this?

We sent the query to fungus expert John Ratcliffe who said it was probably Turkeytail (Trametes versicolor) but he would need to have a closer look to be sure. He set off for Hoylake Willows the following day and found the log where the fungus was growing. John was able to confirm his identification of Turkeytail.

Turkeytail (Trametes versicolor)

Not one to miss a chance for some mycological exploration, he had a look around the site and spotted all these other fungi too!

Willow Barkspot (Diatrype bullata)

Common Jellyspot (Dacrymyces stillatus)

Crystal Brain (Exidia nucleata)

Netted Crust Byssomerulius corium

Scarlet Elfcup Sarcoscypha austriaca

Amber Jelly Exidia recisa

Smoky Bracket Bjerkandera adusta

Yellow Brain Tremella mesenterica

Poplar Bells Schizophyllum amplum

The underside of Poplar Bells Schizophyllum amplum

White Brain Exidia thuretiana

Blueing Bracket Postia subcaesia

Scurfy Twiglet Tubaria furfuracea

Oysterlings Crepidotus sp.
These need microscopy to get to species level
but John's microscope was away being serviced!

Many thanks to John for sharing his knowledge and going above and beyond in not only providing the answer to the initial question but going on a fungal safari and sending us these wonderful photos!

2025 Butterfly Recording Results at New Ferry Butterfly Park

Peacock butterfly

With great pleasure, we would like to share with you the information on butterflies we recorded in our transect walks between April and September 2025 at New Ferry Butterfly Park. 

Small Copper butterfly

2025 was a good year for butterflies thanks to the dry and sunny weather: we recorded 1151 individual butterflies, contrasting 553 in 2024! Almost all the species did well: in particular, Green-veined White, Common Blue, Peacock and Gatekeeper, followed by Speckled Wood, Large White, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Comma, Meadow Brown, and Ringlet. Even some that are historically rare increased in number too: 8 Small Coppers (3 in 2024), and 5 Dingy Skippers during one walk (2 in 2024 in two sperate walks). 

Orange Tip butterfly

The species whose number remained more or less the same between 2024 and 2025 were Small Skipper, Essex Skipper, Painted Lady, and Small Tortoiseshell, while there was a fall in Orange Tip (from 23 to 11), and Small White (from 123 to 78).

Brimstone butterfly

Brimstone butterflies have always been a steady and pleasant sighting for visitors in the Park.  Strangely their number in 2025 was less spectacular: we only recorded 47, in contrast with 53 the year before. The good news is that we saw quite a few Brimstone butterfly eggs and caterpillars in 2025 on Alder Buckthorn (their favourite food plant). Fingers crossed there will be more in the next recording season.

A Brimstone caterpillar

2025 saw us gratefully receiving exclusive personal training in the Park from Dave Costello and Eric Davies, whose superb photos made their way to the Butterfly Park's Facebook page. Thank you both for your support!  Our thanks also go to Claire Lyon and Paul Loughnane who stepped in when we were away, which made 26 out of 26 walks during the recording season.

Finally, we wish all the very best to all of you for a fantastic 2026!

Yan and Charles

(Photos by Roy Lowry, taken at New Ferry Butterfly Park)

New Year – New Opportunities – Taking Action for Wildlife

Members of Wirral Wildlife want to create a Wirral richer in wildlife by managing our reserves to increase biodiversity and encouraging people to join us.

If you are interested in taking action for wildlife alongside us, how can you get involved?

Do you like to be outdoors and use skills you already have – or learn new ones?

We look after 3 local nature reserves and practical work is carried out by honorary wardens and a team of volunteers. Once a month volunteers do practical work at Cleaver Heath and New Ferry Butterfly Park, with occasional workdays at Thornton Wood. Examples of tasks include removing invasive birch at Cleaver Heath so heather has a chance to spread, coppicing of hazel in Thornton Wood and removal of invasive species like Himalayan balsam. You could learn how to scythe or lay a hedge at New Ferry Butterfly Park.

Scything fun at New Ferry Butterfly Park!

A workday at Cleaver Heath

Do you have knowledge to identify plants, fungi, invertebrates, birds or mammals?

A team of recorders do annual surveys of local wildlife sites so there is a permanent record of the wildlife there and any changes. If you aren’t an expert you can learn as you go.

Surveying at Thurstaston Common

Are you interested or concerned about building developments in Wirral?

We look at planning applications to check if they may have an impact on wildlife and advise the council accordingly.

Are you interested in finding out more about local nature?

We have a programme of talks and guided walks open to the public. Monthly talks are held from September to April at Thornton Hough WI Hall and feature a wide range of speakers. Guided walks usually include a spring flower walk, a walk in Thornton Wood and an autumn fungi walk. Each autumn we hold an Apple Afternoon at New Ferry Butterfly Park where visitors can taste locally grown apples and help to make juice using our traditional wooden press.

Bluebells in Thornton Wood

Do you like enthusing children?

We work with schools by giving guided tours of New Ferry Butterfly Park, going into schools to give talks or attending school nature events.

Show children how to build a bug hotel

Do you like meeting people or fundraising?

We attend events like Cool Heswall and Ness Nature Day and have an Open Garden afternoon at Poulton Hall. We have volunteer wardens at New Ferry Butterfly Park on Sundays from May to September.

The Wirral Wildlife stall at Ness Gardens Nature Day

Are you a local ‘Friends’ group? Do you want some wildlife advice?

We have members with experience who could help with surveys or ideas.

Do your skills lie in organising or communication?

Would you like to organise events or write newsletters or social media?


Our dedicated Wirral Wildlife volunteers do all these things and more. We are a busy, inclusive group and welcome anyone who wants to make Wirral richer in wildlife.

Send an email to info@wirralwildlife.org.uk or come to one of our talks (see the Events page on our website) and speak to one of us.

No prior experience necessary – just a desire to be involved. You would be made very welcome if you would like to join us.

Taking Action for Wildlife: A Review of 2025

2025 saw celebrations of the 30th anniversary of New Ferry Butterfly Park being open to the public. Since 2002 we have welcomed a total of 34,890 visitors, some on Sunday afternoons and some on guided visits. This year the Butterfly Park received its 13th Green Flag and its second RHS North West in Bloom level 5 Award. All these things reflect the dedication of volunteers that includes the Wirral Countryside Volunteers.

If you would like to volunteer at New Ferry Butterfly Park, either as a voluntary warden or on a workday, email us at info@wirralwildlife.org.uk

Visitors at the 2025 Open Day at New Ferry Butterfly Park

The season started well at Cleaver Heath reserve with a regeneration project, which saw an area dominated by bracken and gorse scraped back to mineral soil, in order to encourage the regeneration of heather. The work was funded through money raised by Woodchurch High School and our own fund-raising. The Cleaver Heath volunteers then worked hard to remove remaining bracken roots. Then, at the end of August, a fire broke out (in another area of the heath), probably caused by someone lighting a fire in an improvised fire pit. Luckily by the end of November some recovery of vegetation was evident.

Work in progress to remove an area of bracken and gorse at Cleaver Heath

Events Attended in 2025

Wirral Wildlife attended many outside events in 2025, none of which we could do without our dedicated volunteer team.

March was a busy month with Our Dee Estuary's Final Celebration in Hoole, the Wirral History and Heritage Fair in Port Sunlight and Cheshire Wildlife Trust's Action for Wildlife Weekend at Birkenhead Park. At each of these events we took our display boards and our children’s crafts where appropriate and told visitors about the work of Wirral Wildlife. 

Linda gave a talk at the Action for Wildlife event at Birkenhead Park

In May we had a table at Cool Heswall with information and activities to help spread the word about the vital importance of nature.

The Wirral Wildlife stall at Cool Heswall

Volunteers worked hard at Poulton Hall Open Day in July, making cream teas, welcoming visitors and leading meadow walks. 

A guided meadow walk at Poulton Hall

Ness Nature Day was held on a beautiful August day and we did craft activities with lots of children.

Wirral Wildlife volunteers at the Nature Day at Ness Gardens

In October an Apple Afternoon was held at New Ferry Butterfly Park with a display of 28 apple varieties and apple juicing using our traditional apple press.

Just some of the varieties of apple at the Apple Afternoon at the Butterfly Park

Green Libraries Week in October found us helping the librarians at Birkenhead Library and West Kirby Library deliver sessions on nature-based crafts.

Children's crafts during Green Libraries Week

If you would like to join our events team please email us at info@wirralwildlife.org.uk

All year round our Recording team is busy with surveys or writing up their observations. It is vital to know which species are present and if their distribution is changing.

Transects surveying at Thurstaston Common

Two members of Wirral Wildlife committee received special recognition this year. Hilary Ash, Honorary Conservation Officer, was presented with the Cool Wirral ‘Environmental Hero’ award, and Stephen Ross, Chairman, received the ‘Volunteer of the Year’ award from Cheshire Wildlife Trust.

Hilary received a Cool Wirral Environmental Hero award

Stephen was awarded the Volunteer of the Year by Cheshire Wildlife Trust

From this brief overview of 2025 you can see what Wirral Wildlife volunteers have achieved.

Why not come and join us? It is very rewarding to ‘Take Action for Wildlife’, as we promise to do!