On 27th June 2012, the North-west
section of the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (IEEM) paid a
visit to New Ferry Butterfly Park. The 13 professional ecologists were from a
range of backgrounds, including consultancies, public bodies and Landlife,
whose wildflower seed has been used on the Park in the past (and are supplying
all the plants for our 50th birthday plantings).
IEEM arrange a number of these
events each year so ecologists and managers can see how other sites work, learn
some new skills and ideas, and advise the hosts. We showed them how we manage
an "Open Mosaic Habitat" site to keep it that way, with scything,
mowing, stripping turf and coppicing trees. They enjoyed our art trail
(something a little different for a
nature reserve) and heard about our educational work - and the ownership fight. In fact, they were
so impressed they couldn't think of anything else we should be doing - but one
of them proved to be a bryophyte expert, who identified 14 mosses for us,
starting our recording of that group (thank you, Diane). And Carl Clee caught
and identified a solitary bee, and hopes to get back to find some more in
future.
Afterwards the group moved on to
Ness Gardens to look at the habitat creation work there in the lower gardens,
where the soil inversion technique has been used to create a wildflower grassland, and other habitats are being developed around it. This project is
still in its early stages, but do wander round when next at Ness.
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| Wildflower grassland at Ness Gardens. Photo: Ecological Restoration Consultants Limited |
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