An Assembly of Tiles: Part 6 - The Peacock Butterfly

Wirral Countryside Volunteers with the peacock butterfly tile and cards

The Peacock Butterfly tile is dedicated to Wirral Countryside Volunteers (WCV) who have been regularly involved in the park since April 1995 and relocated their base to the Park in 2002. WCV provide a sizable group of talented and enthusiastic volunteers who coppice, lay hedges, scythe grasslands, host corporate workdays and take on many structural jobs around the park. The volunteers provide some fantastic support for the Park’s Opening Days.

New Ferry Butterfly Park workdays are on the second Sunday of the month from September to March starting from 9.30am onwards - do join them. Good company, tea and homemade cakes are provided. Follow them on Facebook or check the WCV website for more details. On each event there are a good variety of jobs to suit different aptitudes. The WCV host some mid-week events which are more impromptu, tackling any problems that arise and helping keep up the momentum of various Park projects.

Pictured above are the Wirral Countryside Volunteers with the tile and cards by the lower pond. This is from the April workday when they installed bamboo chimes for the Elastatone, completed a new leaflet dispenser, spread clay over some uncovered edges of the lower pond, mowed bays for stalls for the forthcoming opening day, turned the compost and cleaned the road of vegetation debris that had accumulated over the last two years. Dr Hilary Ash, the Park’s Conservation Officer said, “WCV are the mainstay of volunteers who carry out the practical habitat management at the park. Their varied skills are vital to the wildlife value of the park and its smooth running, we were delighted to acknowledge this by dedicating a tile and card to them.”

The new leaflet holder by the park entrance

Bamboo chimes for the restored Elastatone

The Peacock butterfly is a familiar butterfly and unmistakeable with its spectacular eyes on their wings, like those on the bird peacock’s tail. The caterpillars are nettle feeders. The caterpillars form a communal web at the top of a nettle plant. They are easily spotted being black, spiny and usually seen in large numbers. In a good year they can cause extensive damage to nettle patches, helping to keep the plant in check. Sunny nettle beds at the park are fed with potash from the BBQs and compost from our bins to keep the nettles vigorous for the Peacock butterfly populations.

Peacock caterpillar enjoying munching the nettles at the park

Paul Loughnane
New Ferry Butterfly Park Reserve Manager