Ivy and Mistletoe at the Butterfly Park

Cross section through hawthorn with ivy surrounding the branch

We decided to fell one dying ivy-laden hawthorn, as it hung over the path. The photograph above shows the cross section through the sawn trunk. The hawthorn is the brown wood, the ivy the white wood. So more ivy than hawthorn! Ivy is an excellent plant for wildlife with flowers in autumn that are rich in nectar for insects feeding up before hibernation. Then berries ripen in January for the birds and there is shelter at any time of year for insects and small birds. However, it is possible to have too much of a good thing, and ivy can take advantage of dying trees to develop a large crown which then makes the tree likely to break. So encourage ivy - but in the right place.

Sawn down hawthorn tree

This is also a good time to see mistletoe as the leaves have fallen from the apple trees.

Mistletoe on apple tree

We introduced mistletoe to New Ferry Butterfly Park over a decade ago, partly as an educational plant to talk about parasitism in plants. It is flourishing on our various self-sown apple trees, and has spread to a hawthorn. The berries are not properly ripe till January or February, which is when the blackcaps and mistle thrushes will eat them.

Mistletoe on apple tree

However, for people there is no kissing under it this year - except within your household or Bubble!

Hilary Ash

Fantastic Fungi

Blue Roundhead toadstool

While out working with the North Wirral Coastal Park volunteers at the Gunsite in early October, John McGaw came across a lovely blue 'toadstool'. 

Looking on the internet he thought it may well belong in the genus Stropharia, possibly S. caerulenta, the blue roundhead. 

He referred it to RECORD, who passed it to a fungus expert, who said `It is most likely to be a Blue Roundhead. It’s hard to be 100% sure without seeing the gills closely though. You are correct in thinking this is an unusual record for the area, I’ve had a look on our main database and there are only 8 records from our area'. So a most unusual and interesting sighting.

Collared Earthstar 

A week later John found another unusual one nearby, Collared Earthstar (Geastrum triplex) 

It has been a good year for fungi. Has anyone found other unusual ones?

One Man Went To Mow at New Ferry Butterfly Park

Flail mower coping with the bumps in Charlie's Field

The many restrictions this autumn have put practical management well behind on many natural sites, but particularly on New Ferry Butterfly Park, where there is much grass that has to be mown to stop it smothering next year's growth.

Charlie's Field before mowing

It became obvious we would not be able to cope with it all by scythe, as we usually do. So we decided to spend some of our donated cash on a contractor. Tony Rainford from RS Securities came and did it with his large flail mower, and very kindly charged us a greatly reduced price!

Charlie's Field after mowing

Thank you, Tony!!

Acid grassland before mowing

Mowing in progress on the acid grassland

Acid grassland after mowing