An Assembly of Tiles: Part 5 - The Speckled Wood Butterfly

The speckled wood butterfly tile for the Butterfly Park's Jubilee Gates

The Speckled Wood butterfly tile is dedicated to the late Mel Roberts, the founder of the Park and the Park’s first secretary from 1993 until 2002.  Mel, a neighbour of the park since 1975, had the vision and confidence to get the Park going when its value as an urban nature reserve was less obvious than it would be today. At the time it was a site of antisocial behaviour and a problem to the community. In 1991 Mel produced a substantial booklet entitled “A proposal for the re-development of the Old Alma Street Goods Yard at Bebington and New Ferry Station.”  This was a 20-page booklet plus appendices, printed on card with photographs physically pasted in with glue. This booklet showed determination and that Mel meant business.

The front cover of Mel Robert's booklet with the proposal to create New Ferry Butterfly Park

The front cover of the booklet illustrated diagrammatically a railway line hitting the buffers of light industry and a branch line continuing on unimpeded into a nature reserve. Mel would be delighted by how the Park has developed and how the Opening Day is a regular feature of the New Ferry community calendar. Mel, with the considerable help of the late Frank Cottrell, convinced Cheshire Wildlife Trust to take the Park on board. With the help of the then local MP and the support of many members of the community it came into being. Mel, along with the first chair of New Ferry Butterfly Park, Gordon Reid, got the tool container installed, which is a key factor in the Park’s management. Mel died in 2002 and an apple tree was planted on the Park in his memory, near to his house and fed by his ashes, so that Mel could be recycled back into the Park. Mel was known locally as the “New Ferry Caterpillock”, though few would know that now.

Mel Roberts with Lyndon Harrison, now Lord  Harrison, and Mel's grandaughter
at the grand opening of the Butterfly Park to the public in July 1995

The Speckled Wood butterfly has chocolate brown coloured wings with yellow flecks. Its caterpillar eats tussock grasses in dappled shade. The Speckled Wood has two populations a year and is unique amongst British butterflies in that it over-winters in two forms, both as a caterpillar or chrysalis. As a result, it appears to be constantly breeding and on the wing from March to November, with only a small gap in June. It is therefore an `old faithful’, being consistently present on the Park in good numbers. 

Paul Loughnane
New Ferry Butterfly Park Reserve Manager

An Assembly of Tiles: Part 4 - the Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly

 

The small tortoiseshell tile for the Silver Jubilee gates

The small tortoiseshell tile is dedicated to the late Frank Cottrell. Frank’s passion was butterflies, but there being no locally active branch of Butterfly Conservation he became chair of Wirral Wildlife (1989 - 1998) and was a trustee of Cheshire Wildlife Trust from May 1992 until June 2005.

Frank was the key person in 1992-3 in getting the Cheshire Wildlife Trust to underwrite the lease of “Alma Street Goods Yard”, as the Butterfly Park was then known. As Chair of Wirral Wildlife, he went over the heads of Cheshire Wildlife Trust staff and got the Cheshire Wildlife Trustees on board. At that time, urban nature conservation was a new idea and a new direction for the Trust. Nearly a quarter of a century later in 2017 Frank retired as a Butterfly Park warden, at the age of 94. Frank was a Sunday afternoon warden because `it was so much fun’. He told visitors what to look out for, whatever was seasonal such as a common blue butterfly or a bee orchid, and visitors would report back to him with delight that they had spotted the wildlife feature. Frank took much pleasure in how the Park has progressed over the years and how it has engaged large numbers of people with wildlife. He gave a substantial donation to the funding of the Silver Jubilee Gates. His family gave the donations collected at Frank’s funeral to the Park. These were matched by Wirral Wildlife to enable the purchase of the industrial history interpretive lectern by the Brick Pit.

The small tortoiseshell is a familiar butterfly. It is a beautiful bright orange and black butterfly; the upper side of both the fore and hind wings are bright orange-rusty red with three black spots interspaced with yellow on the leading edge of the wing. A ring of dull blue spots or crescents line the edge of both wings. The butterfly over-winters as an adult and is often encountered while hibernating in a garage or shed. Adults emerge from hibernation at the end of March or start of April. There are two broods a year, so it is on the wing until September.

Hilary Ash, Frank Cottrell and David Hinde in the early days of the Butterfly Park

Pictured are Frank Cottrell, Hilary Ash and David Hinde (Butterfly Conservation local representative) about 1993 when the park was just getting underway, and nearly a quarter of century later at a presentation by  Alison McGovern MP, marking when Frank stepped down as a New Ferry Butterfly Park warden. 

Frank was presented with a framed print by Alison McGovern MP
when he retired as a warden at the Butterfly Park

Paul Loughnane
New Ferry Butterfly Park Reserve Manager

Crown Commercial Services Corporate Day at Butterfly Park

Claire Hastewell from Crown Commercial Services has written a blog post for us, following their corporate workday at New Ferry Butterfly Park.

At Crown Commercial Services (CCS) social value and giving something back to our communities is important to us. Supporting and investing in our local communities' health and wellbeing, the improvement of the local environment, and strengthening community cohesion, ensuring the government is getting good value for money for its contracts.

The CCS team at the Butterfly Park

A team of volunteers from CCS came down to New Ferry Butterfly Park at the beginning of March. The local volunteers made sure they got good value from their volunteering. The team of six achieved so much and were a great boost to the park.

Four square meters of turf were removed from over the railway track beds to encourage carpets of bird’s foot trefoil, a key butterfly plant.

104 hedging stakes were harvested from Hogs Head Coppice.

An impressive number of hedging stakes

15 meters of hedge was laid in Charlie’s Field.

Laying the hedge

Hedgelayers at work!

A metal frame from a former park sign at the Brick Pit was recycled and relocated to the park’s entrance. This will be turned into a permanent mount for leaflet dispensers (and will be much appreciated by the summer wardens).

The last bit of landscaping at the lower pond was completed with the butterfly bench set back from the pond edge and sandstone blocks and turf used to cover the exposed membrane.

The pond landscaping nearing completion

A woven hazel picket fence was made from the freshly cut coppice material and was used to secure this area. It is an attractive feature in itself.

Last July we worked on the pond, puddling the protective layer of clay around the edges. We were delighted to see the progress from last time and knowing that the pond will now be open this year to visitors will be fantastic.

The butterfly bench is in place and the turf has been cut for edging the pond 

On the lunch time tour there was much interest in the mistletoe and a comma butterfly, the park's logo, was seen on the wing - the first butterfly record of the year. Lunch time provided a chance for employees to chat and make new contacts. Some of CCS team delegates did not really know each other as they came from across multiple teams but do now, with this shared experience.

The feedback from the volunteers was great, "fulfilled and amazing achievements all round, working with great volunteers. They all made us feel very welcome and made the day fun as well as a learning experience."

We look forward to returning with a team from CCS towards the end of summer to see the Butterfly Park in full bloom.