Pond Dipping Pleasures

Sophie Lewis, an undergraduate at the University of Liverpool, has been carrying out research on ponds, including the one at New Ferry Butterfly Park. Here's a short report into her findings.

I really enjoy pond dipping because you never know what you will find. You can take the net out of the water and put the contents in a tray and then just wait. So many things will start wiggling and some are quite similar to ones we find on land!

Water hog louse (Asellus aquaticus) looks very similar to a woodlouse or pea bug 

Damselfly larvae (Lestidae family)

Male smooth newt (Lissotriton vulgaris)

The Wirral is home to lots of freshwater ponds that are vital for our landscape because they provide habitats for rare aquatic species and can store carbon. However, my recent dissertation research project at the University of Liverpool reveals that many of our local ponds are declining and some ponds are being lost altogether.

The ponds I looked at were extremely varied. I looked at 10 ponds on the Wirral: Arrowe Brook Farm, Caldy and Heswall Golf Courses, Lees Lane, New Ferry Butterfly Park, Ness Gardens, Thornton Common, Thurstaston Country Park, Upton Meadows, and Willaston Meadow. I observed all their characteristics including water chemistry, aquatic macroinvertebrate species, aquatic and marginal plant species and greenhouse gas emissions.

Data collection at New Ferry Butterfly Park

I found that some sites were “zombie ponds” which are ponds that have very few species present and are not healthy. They are identifiable by measurable characteristics: over 50% shade, low species diversity, low oxygen concentrations, and high greenhouse gas emissions. However, the zombie pond state is reversible and can be managed by:

• Thinning out overhanging trees allows light to hit the water, kickstarting photosynthesis and oxygenating the pond.

• Protecting small, connected pond networks rather than just focusing on large ones.

• Actively managing and recording what you find in the pond to keep track of its status. My research showed that sites that are managed by volunteers like New Ferry Butterfly Park had some of the highest ecological quality in the study.

Upton Meadows, an example of a zombie pond with lots of tree cover

I also found that smaller ponds have higher macroinvertebrate richness than larger ones. This shows how vital the small ponds that we create in our gardens and on our local nature reserve sites are, even if they are not very big. I also found that newer ponds had more diversity than older ones so digging new ponds is a great way to boost aquatic biodiversity and you will be surprised how quickly species will arrive!

By using statistical models, I identified Dissolved Oxygen (DO) as the single most important predictor of a pond’s health. When oxygen is high, we see a diverse community of beetles and dragonflies. When it’s low, we are left with only "specialist" survivors, like Daphnia (water fleas) that turn red to survive the harsh conditions or rat-tailed maggots that use "snorkels" to breathe air.

Daphnia in Jacksons Pond, Willaston Meadow. (Daphnia sp.)

Rat Tailed Maggot Fly at Ness Gardens (Eristalini tribe)

I really enjoy pond dipping, especially at New Ferry Butterfly Park because there are so many different species you can find, especially the newts! You can go pond dipping there on Sunday afternoons (12-4) from May to mid-September, or come and visit on our open day on Sunday 3rd May from 11am to 4pm.

New Ferry Butterfly Park Pond

If you would like any more information about this research or a copy of the full dissertation, please get in touch with me at: sophielewis5303@gmail.com

Hiding in Plain Sight

An Ancient Oak at Claremont Farm

Earlier this year Hilary Ash, Honorary Conservation Officer for Wirral Wildlife, took a closer look at an oak tree she had seen many times before at Claremont Farm.

Realisation dawned that it was actually a very old oak tree that would be classified as ‘ancient’ - followed by surprise that she hadn’t spotted it sooner!

This tree had been pollarded - this involves removing the top of the tree by regular cutting of upper branches back to the main trunk during the dormant season, generally late September to early March. The purpose of traditional pollarding was to encourage several new side and top shoots from the main trunk, so firewood and other coppice products were readily available year on year at a manageable height.

This results in a very large trunk and the girth of this tree is 6.14m, suggesting it may be 400 - 500 years old.

It has astonishing ecological value too, supporting thousands of species in its nooks and crannies. There are several interesting holes in the upper branches, one of which has blue tits nesting.

Since its ‘discovery’ it has been given some care by Wirral Countryside Volunteers. Young ash were growing up through its crown, many of them with Ash Dieback Disease. Following advice in Aljos Farjon's book ‘Ancient Oaks in the English Landscape’, Pete and Steve from Wirral Countryside Volunteers coppiced the ash and some elder and used the brash to make a circle round the tree. This will free the oak from competition, and deter people from standing under the tree, which compacts the soil - and puts them in the way should a dead twig fall off! The tree's burry trunk can now be seen in all its glory. 

The oak tree after the surrounding ash had been coppiced.

When it comes to these special trees, the UK is immensely important. We have a phenomenal number of ancient and veteran trees compared with the rest of Europe. There are thousands all across the UK, from the oldest churchyard yews to lone oaks like this one standing in a field.

How old an ancient tree is depends on the species. Some species can live longer than others with yews, oaks and sweet chestnuts topping the age charts at over 1000 years. Other species, including birch and willow, live shorter lives.

Oak may live for 1,000 years, although 600 may be more typical on many sites. Hopefully this ancient oak tree will still be here for centuries to come.

More information about Ancient Oaks and pollarding

Aljos Farjon. (2017). Ancient Oaks in the English Landscape. Kew Publishing.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. Pollarding, not a palaver!
https://www.ywt.org.uk/blog/yorkshire-wildlife-trust/pollarding

Woodland Trust. Ancient Tree Inventory.
https://ati.woodlandtrust.org.uk/how-to-record/species-guides/oak/

New Ferry Butterfly Park - March Update

The area where seeds have been sown

On the Butterfly Park workday on 8th March, we sowed more seeds on the ground opposite Mel’s Garden (pictured above). In total, more than 20 species of grass and wildflower seeds are in the soil so far.

On the following day we put some degradable plastic ribbons and flower/ yoghurt pots to deter the birds from eating the seeds (photo below). We hope it works, but apologies to the birds for this temporary deprivation. They can resume their pecking after a month or so. Some of those seeds are bought, but most are donated by friends and partner conservation organisations. Although some are a bit old, we shall wait and see!

Trying to deter birds from eating the freshly sown seeds

Some of the plugs planted by university students and refugees last year are doing well, in particular Black Knapweed, Hawkbit, Great Birds-foot Trefoil, Red Campion and Selfheal (all pictured below).

Black Knapweed

Hawkbit

Great Birds-foot Trefoil

Red Campion

Selfheal

If you have some native grass and wildflower seeds to spare, why not give them to us and we will make good use of them.

Yan and Charles, New Ferry Butterfly Park volunteers

Howard Gibson: a Tribute

Howard's smile when given his retirement present after he stepped down as Butterfly Park Treasurer in 2021

It is with great sadness that we report the death of Howard Gibson, the treasurer of New Ferry Butterfly Park for 22 years and chief lawnmower operative for 26 years.

When Howard retired from being a bank branch manager, he wanted to use his banking skills to serve the local community. He first started at Merseyside Improve Housing Association Tenant Participation group, where he met Mel Roberts, the visionary founder of the Park. Mel soon recruited Howard into the Park’s team, with Howard becoming the Park’s treasurer in 1998, taking over from the first treasurer Vi Otter.

The Treasurer’s role started on a small scale but developed into a much more involved role, reflecting the considerable development and increased activities taking place at the Park. It is a busy job in the summer, sorting out weekly collections put in the donation tin and distinguishing between donations: general, wood chip, soil improver, or group visits. These were accurately and clearly presented in the annual accounts. The accounts give the committee a clear picture of the financial resources and how each income stream has contributed over the year. Howard’s accounts were used to demonstrate the Park is a business - we sell wood chip. This was a crucial point raised in court in 2009 when protecting the Park’s business tenancy. Howard became an expert in VAT and claimed a 20% refund on our disabled accessible composting toilet via Cheshire Wildlife Trust. This refund helped with funding the required surrounding ground works.

The busiest day of the year for the treasurer is the Opening Day, when around 1,000 visitors are entertained. It can be complicated, with cash floats required for several stalls and refreshments, along with the purchase of materials, some items being purchased on the day as the opening day progresses. On the following day, whilst volunteers are all recovering, Howard quickly presented the accounts for the Opening Day, as a thank you to all the volunteers who had contributed to the success of the opening day and sharing their part in fundraising endeavours.

Howard also became expert in handling grants and reporting clearly on how they had been spent. Anything from a few hundred for the artwork which graces our pondside container, to several thousand for the toilet.

The most complicated and involved financial project handled by Howard, and one which cost the most at £17,000, was the Comma Project in 2012, during which a shop in New Ferry Precinct was rented for six months. Each month there was a different artist and a private viewing party at the end of the artist’s residency. It was a challenge to collect all the receipts: “No receipt, no payment” was Howard’s mantra and quite right too. There were rent, gas, electric and water bills along with decorating bills, artistic materials, and artist’s payment at the end of their residencies. When Howard stood down as treasurer in 2021, he was presented with a framed picture, a caricature of himself drawn by the park’s artist in residence, Carol Ramsay. He was delighted by it as evident in the photograph above.

Caricature of Howard, drawn by Carol Ramsay

Along with his banking skills, Howard brought many practical skills and joined in with the weekly Tuesday workdays with Dave the boat, Dave Holms, Mel Roberts and Ian Jones, as well as the twice monthly Sunday workdays during the fledgling years of the Park. Howard also installed, fixed and painted much of the park’s furniture and carried out many successful infrastructure projects at the Park: the BBQ stand, the much-used bench by the container, designing compost bins and, best of all, adding a sloping roof to the metal container, keeping it dry and harvesting rainwater. We are still finding new volunteers for the things that Howard used to quietly do annually, such as treating handrails and posts with preservative, which he did up to 2024. He mowed our paths throughout the growing season for 26 years, from 1998 to 2024. At the 2025 Opening Day, Justin Madders MP presented Howard with a gift token as a small appreciation of all that work.

Howard and Peter preparing the hole for the industrial history display board at the brick pit

Howard bravely took on intruders in the Park, removing an air rifle from a gang of youths trespassing in the Park. In 2011 as part of a survey of volunteers’ hours for Cheshire Wildlife Trust, it was realised that Howard was giving 140 mid-week hours per year plus seven Sundays, amounting to 20% of the total volunteer input at the Park that year, very impressive.

Howard has always been a quiet strength of the Park, and this was recognised and celebratedby Cheshire Wildlife Trust, who awarded Howard the Eric Thurston Award in 2015.

Howard receiving the Eric Thurston Award

Howard’s twin daughters Dawn and Fiona carried out their Duke of Edinburgh community service at the Park, and his wife Enid came to the opening days with the wider family. Enid was able to join us at celebratory events such as the Liverpool Echo Environment Award for Community Impact 2019.

Echo Environmental Awards Community 2019

The Green Flag at the Park has been flying at half-mast in tribute to him and at the recent group meeting we held a minute silence to reflect on Howard’s contribution to the Park and his fellowship over the years.

Howard has left a legacy through his financial acuity and hands-on involvement with the much-loved community asset of New Ferry Butterfly Park. As many have said, he was such a kind and peaceful man, with an extraordinarily strong work ethic. We were incredibly lucky to have him as a volunteer for all those years.

Howard at the entrance gates to the Butterfly Park, ready to great visitors

Cleaver Heath - Mushrooms from the Ashes

Toodstools growing in the burnt area at Cleaver Heath

Less than two months after the summer fire at Cleaver Heath in August last year, mushrooms appeared growing directly within the burnt ground. During the period between October and early December they gradually spread across most of the burnt surfaces and by mid-December they had all disappeared.

Taking into account this particular habitat and their distinguishing features, they are likely to be Rooting Bonnet (Mycena megaspora) mushrooms. The preferred habitat for this uncommon species is burnt heathland (also Sphagnum bogs) and they are described as having dark, ridged, conical caps, each with a prominent central 'swelling'. They also have stems which penetrate deep into the growing surface, hence the term 'rooting'.

This species appears to fit within the definition of so-called pyrophilic or 'fire-loving' fungi, i.e. fungi that are either associated with fire or found within post-fire environments. Are the spores dormant within the ground and then triggered to germinate by the fire heat? These fungi were certainly not recorded within these areas at Cleaver before the fire.

Definitely a need for further research I think!

John McGaw
Voluntary Warden Cleaver Heath

A Sunny Sunday Afternoon at the Butterfly Park

The sunshine on Sunday February 22nd inspired amazing photographer Roy Lowry to make his first trip of the year to New Ferry Butterfly Park. Throughout most the year he makes weekly visits to record on camera any animals and plants that he sees. This creates a wonderful visual record for the Butterfly Park and is a source of lots of Facebook posts.

Roy reported “Despite the sunshine, there wasn’t much activity. Sadly, the big surprise of the day - a male brimstone - avoided my lens, flying around for five minutes before vanishing into the gardens”.

However, he did manage to photograph some insects and flowers.

A very dopey tree bumblebee trying to warm up

A common wasp queen,

also feeling the chill and trying to get warm in the sunshine

7-spot ladybirds.
These were everywhere with no other ladybird species in sight.

A bluebottle

Winter heliotrope

Common field-speedwell

Common field-speedwell and winter heliotrope made up about 75% of the available nectar sources in the park. There were very few primroses, no celandines and the marsh marigolds were way off flowering.

We're sure that warmer weather will provide more subjects for Roy to aim his camera at.

Check our Facebook page for updates.

Helping Hands for Wild Flowers at the Butterfly Park

If you have been to New Ferry Butterfly Park, you may remember the bramble-dominated patch opposite to Mel’s Garden. Like the picture shown below, two suffocating species, ivy and brambles, operate like ground and air forces driving all other species to the edge. However, can you imagine that the exact area was once grassland some 20 years ago? While brambles are important to wildlife and there are plenty of them in the Park, flower-rich grassland provides an equally important but different wildlife habitat.

Ivy and brambles opposite Mel's Garden at the Butterfly Park

The work was started by Brian Burden from Wirral Countryside Volunteers and his helpers last autumn. We seized the opportunity and were carried away to transform this patch of ground back to its original shape. The tasks involve removing the prickly and scrambling brambles together with their roots and (as much as possible) the ivy crawling on the ground surface. While doing these tasks, some redcurrant bushes were revealed, the remnant of an allotment site many years ago!

Now the area looks so different, more open and fresher. Some dormant wildflower seeds in the soil will germinate soon. More wildflower seeds were added to the soil and more seeds to follow! Wildflower plug plants gifted by Cheshire Wildlife Trust were already in the ground last autumn, thanks to the helping hands of students from Liverpool John Moores University and refugees residing in Hoylake. 

A dead hedge at the edge of the garden area

In the picture above you may just make out a dry / dead hedge on the left, adding some style and decoration, as well as a demarcation “advising” the brambles and ivy where to stop!

Like managing any other wildlife habitats, there will be plenty of maintenance work to do in the years to come. However, the efforts will be hugely rewarded by watching the butterflies and other animals attracted to and making good use of the area! 

Yan and Charles, Butterfly Park volunteers