New Ferry Butterfly Park held its 14th Opening Day on Sunday May 4th - the first May Bank holiday. This event marks the start of the park’s open season to the public. This year was special as it marks the 30th season of the park being open to the public.
Guest of honour was Justin Madders, MP for the Ellesmere and Bromborough constituency. Justin came to the extreme northwest corner of this new constituency, which ends at the north and west boundaries of New Ferry Butterfly Park. Justin Madders thanked all the volunteers who have kept this well-loved community asset open and are ensuring its continual improvements. He also talked of the importance of biodiversity to everyone.
Justin made a presentation to Howard Gibson who has been mowing the grass at the park for a monumental 27 years. Thanks a million. This mowing regime has reduced the grassland fertility and increased the value of the grasslands at the park to invertebrates as increased nectar and pollen sources are now available. The visual attractiveness of these grasslands has improved considerably too. Mowing the path edges sets off the area of tall grasses well.
Justin Madders MP thanking Howard for mowing at the Butterfly Park |
Justin, much to everyone’s delight, then sliced a Brimstone butterfly cake with a billhook. This delicious cake was rapidly consumed by guests. Brimstone butterflies are large yellow showy butterflies which can easily been seen from some distance.
![]() |
Justin Madders about to slice a brimstone butterfly cake with a billhook |
The Brimstone butterfly is significant to the park. The cubs based at Saint John the Evangelist, New Ferry, planted alder buckthorn, the caterpillar food plant for these butterflies in 2004. A decade later the presence of brimstone butterfly eggs confirmed that brimstones were breeding at the park. This was the first recording of breeding brimstone butterflies in the Wirral peninsula. Alistair Noakes, from Butterfly Conservation, was at hand on the opening day with a display of the brimstone life cycle and was able to show guests the actual tiny milk bottle shaped eggs of the brimstone butterflies and the first instar caterpillars already munching away on the spring flush of fresh alder buckthorn leaves at the park.
A real brimstone butterfly! |
The 1,134 guests enjoyed a tempting BBQ, delicious homemade cake, a tombola stall and local craft stalls.
![]() |
June & Asal on the cake stall |
Over 18 miles were pedalled on the cycle smoothie powering a blender.
The cycle smoothie |
Wildlife exhibits enabled close encounters with spiders, newts, slow worms, owls and a skunk.
The Owl Man, with his owls |
RECORD, the Local Environmental Records Centre for Cheshire, Halton, Warrington and Wirral was there to help guests hone up their recording skills of plant and animals and informing them how to contribute their records.
Wildlife spotting with RECORD |
Alternatively, you could sow seeds in newspaper pots and buy plants lovingly grow by volunteers.
Steve from Wirral Countryside Volunteers showing how to make plant pots from newspaper |
Just some of the plants on sale |
There was a stall about honeybees and honey from the park was also available.
Local honey from Flourish at Ford Way, who have some hives in the Butterfly Park |
A new attraction this year was storytelling: the children were spellbound by the words of the storyteller and entered a world of calm. They made up their own stories about butterflies and they all knew about their life cycles.
![]() |
Sue from Zig Zag Tales in the storytelling area |
The BBQ supplies were sponsored by kind donations from the following businesses:
Efes, King Street, Wallasey
Refreshment Rooms, Bedford Road, Rock Ferry
Tesco, Bebington Road, Bebington
Pensby Kebab House, Pensby Road, Pensby
Pronto Pizza, Seaview Road, Liscard
Wylde Bakery, Bebington Road, Bebington
Bridging the Wallasey Gap, Poulton Road, Wallasey
Bookers Cash and Carry, Union Street, Birkenhead
Station Cafe, Wallgate, Wigan
Chegone Takeaway, Grange Road West, Birkenhead
K & N Fruit and Veg, Oxton Road, Birkenhead
Vitto Pizzeria. Poulton Road, Wallasey
Pizza Point, Argyle Street, Birkenhead
These businesses give back to the community, so you might like to support them and if you do, thank them for supporting New Ferry Butterfly Park!
![]() |
The BBQ team |
The park is now open every Sunday between 12 noon and 4 pm until mid-September, so do come back on a quieter Sunday and enjoy the succession of wildlife as the season progresses. The plant sale continues throughout the season.
Paul Loughnane
Hon Secretary, New Ferry Butterfly Park