Taking Action for Wildlife: A Review of 2025

2025 saw celebrations of the 30th anniversary of New Ferry Butterfly Park being open to the public. Since 2002 we have welcomed a total of 34,890 visitors, some on Sunday afternoons and some on guided visits. This year the Butterfly Park received its 13th Green Flag and its second RHS North West in Bloom level 5 Award. All these things reflect the dedication of volunteers that includes the Wirral Countryside Volunteers.

If you would like to volunteer at New Ferry Butterfly Park, either as a voluntary warden or on a workday, email us at info@wirralwildlife.org.uk

Visitors at the 2025 Open Day at New Ferry Butterfly Park

The season started well at Cleaver Heath reserve with a regeneration project, which saw an area dominated by bracken and gorse scraped back to mineral soil, in order to encourage the regeneration of heather. The work was funded through money raised by Woodchurch High School and our own fund-raising. The Cleaver Heath volunteers then worked hard to remove remaining bracken roots. Then, at the end of August, a fire broke out (in another area of the heath), probably caused by someone lighting a fire in an improvised fire pit. Luckily by the end of November some recovery of vegetation was evident.

Work in progress to remove an area of bracken and gorse at Cleaver Heath

Events Attended in 2025

Wirral Wildlife attended many outside events in 2025, none of which we could do without our dedicated volunteer team.

March was a busy month with Our Dee Estuary's Final Celebration in Hoole, the Wirral History and Heritage Fair in Port Sunlight and Cheshire Wildlife Trust's Action for Wildlife Weekend at Birkenhead Park. At each of these events we took our display boards and our children’s crafts where appropriate and told visitors about the work of Wirral Wildlife. 

Linda gave a talk at the Action for Wildlife event at Birkenhead Park

In May we had a table at Cool Heswall with information and activities to help spread the word about the vital importance of nature.

The Wirral Wildlife stall at Cool Heswall

Volunteers worked hard at Poulton Hall Open Day in July, making cream teas, welcoming visitors and leading meadow walks. 

A guided meadow walk at Poulton Hall

Ness Nature Day was held on a beautiful August day and we did craft activities with lots of children.

Wirral Wildlife volunteers at the Nature Day at Ness Gardens

In October an Apple Afternoon was held at New Ferry Butterfly Park with a display of 28 apple varieties and apple juicing using our traditional apple press.

Just some of the varieties of apple at the Apple Afternoon at the Butterfly Park

Green Libraries Week in October found us helping the librarians at Birkenhead Library and West Kirby Library deliver sessions on nature-based crafts.

Children's crafts during Green Libraries Week

If you would like to join our events team please email us at info@wirralwildlife.org.uk

All year round our Recording team is busy with surveys or writing up their observations. It is vital to know which species are present and if their distribution is changing.

Transects surveying at Thurstaston Common

Two members of Wirral Wildlife committee received special recognition this year. Hilary Ash, Honorary Conservation Officer, was presented with the Cool Wirral ‘Environmental Hero’ award, and Stephen Ross, Chairman, received the ‘Volunteer of the Year’ award from Cheshire Wildlife Trust.

Hilary received a Cool Wirral Environmental Hero award

Stephen was awarded the Volunteer of the Year by Cheshire Wildlife Trust

From this brief overview of 2025 you can see what Wirral Wildlife volunteers have achieved.

Why not come and join us? It is very rewarding to ‘Take Action for Wildlife’, as we promise to do!

A Special Midsummer Walk at Roman Road Sandhills

One of the larger sandhills at the site off Roman Road in Meols

Roman Road Sandhills is 7 acre site in Meols which is managed by the Friends of Roman Road Sandhills. On Midsummer morning, Saturday 21st June, 32 people enjoyed our guided walk around the area. They saw the work done this year to remove invasive, non-native shrubs and restore the dune grasslands for pollinators.

The Roman Road Sandhills is fortunate to be one of the 15 sites across Wirral to receive funding for grassland restoration, as part of Wirral Council’s Pollinator Strategy. Earlier this year, four areas of invasive shrub were scraped and reseeded with a coastal wildflower mix. Volunteers also planted 1,300 dune wildflower plugs in a depleted grassland area.

An area where invasive scrub had been removed and the soil scraped away to reveal the underlying sand, before seeding with a wild flower mix

A large number of butterflies and other invertebrates have been recorded at the Sandhills and many depend on the dune grassland flora.

Highlights seen during the walk included mating Small White butterflies, Small Skipper and Large Skipper butterflies and the first sighting on this site of a Ringlet butterfly, bringing the total butterfly species seen on site to 20.

Ringlet butterfly sighted at Roman Road Sandhills for the first time

The hole of a Sandpit Mining Bee (zoom in and you might just be able to see the bee's behind!) 

Many plants were flowering.

Lady's Bedstraw

Fumitory

Sea Rocket

Mallow

Evening Primrose

Some plants, like the tree lupin, were covered in aphids - but that was a feast for the ladybirds.

One of the many ladybirds attracted to the aphid buffet on this tree lupin

Thank you to the committee members of Friends of Roman Road Sandhills who showed us around the site!

Poplar

If you would like to visit and explore Roman Road Sandhills yourself, start at the lectern alongside Roman Road, Meols (halfway down Roman Road, CH47 6AG)

What3Words: ///result.cheeks.donor

For more information see the Friends of Roman Road Facebook page

Or email romanroadsandhills@btinternet.com

(Photos by David and Laura Higginbottom)

A VIP Butterfly

Stalls at the New Ferry Butterfly Park 2023 Opening Day

New Ferry Butterfly Park held its 12th Opening Day which marked the start of the 28th season of being open to the public. Despite the drizzle there were 567 guests on the day. They enjoyed the alluring smell of caramelized onions from the BBQ, delicious homemade cakes, a magnificent plant sale, stalls of local talented crafters and children’s craft activities, including making badges and sowing seeds in newspaper pots. It was a first sight for many of the revamped wildlife demonstration garden dedicated to the park’s founder Mel Roberts. There was lots of information and inspiration to get people started on their own wildflower adventure.

Caroline Lancelyn Green in her butterfly scarf, unveiling the new information board.

The guest of honour for the day was Caroline Lancelyn Green. Caroline is a long-term supporter of the Park. She and her family host fundraising garden parties at nearby Poulton Hall from which the park has benefited. The next wildlife fundraising garden party there is Saturday 1st July which, appropriately, is National Meadows Day. Caroline, who is delightfully theatrical, rose to the occasion and came along in a wonderful butterfly scarf which she unfurled to applause.

Caroline came to unveil the latest feature at the park, a new information lectern dedicated to the industrial heritage of the park. This lectern was made possible by a legacy from the late Frank Cottrell, a former chair of Wirral Wildlife and a former Cheshire Wildlife Trust Trustee, combined with donations made in his memory and funding from the Wirral Wildlife. Hilary Ash reading a tribute to Frank and said, “He would be wryly amused to be now part of the history of the park.” It was Frank who persuaded the Cheshire Wildlife Trust to take on New Ferry Butterfly Park. For more on Frank’s substantive contribution see Wirral Wildlife Blog: Frank Cottrell 1922 - 2021. The lectern will be finally installed by the Brick Pit later on in the season during a family and friends’ ceremony.

The plant stall at the Opening Day

After unveiling the display Caroline was presented with a wild pear tree propagated by volunteers from Willaston stock, which she was delighted to accept. Frank’s successor as Wirral Wildlife Chairman, Stephen Ross, gave Caroline a guided tour of the park and the delights of the stalls. Despite a third less guests than last year, slightly more funds were raised due the generosity of those who supported the park and stalls and made it an enjoyable day with a great atmosphere. Thank you everyone who came for supporting the park. We hope you can visit us on a sunny day and appreciate all the butterflies, other insects and wildflowers.

The cakes are just as delicious in the rain!

Paul Loughnane

Poulton Hall Garden Opening on Saturday 2nd July

After such a successful event last year, Poulton Hall are kindly holding another Open Day in their Walled Gardens to raise awareness and funds for Wirral Wildlife and New Ferry Butterfly Park. This will take place on Saturday 2nd July, from 2 - 5 pm.

• Enjoy a guided tour of the wild flower meadow
• Have a go at hedge laying and scything
• Make a newspaper pot and sow a seed to take home to nurture
• Explore the eclectic mix of themed formal gardens
• Be entertained by the storyteller
• Find out more about spiders
• Watch a bee keeping demonstration

​
Admission: £6 for entrance, £9.50 for entrance and cream tea.
Free entrance for under 16s, with £3.50 for a child's cream tea.

Please book your ticket here:
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/wirral/poulton-hall/poulton-hall-walled-gardens-opening/2022-07-02/14:00

You can also book in advance for your guided tour of the wild flower area:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/walk-around-wildflower-area-at-poulton-hall-tickets-368259172097

For pictures and a description of the gardens, please see our blog post written prior to last year's open day:
https://wirralwildlife.blogspot.com/2021/06/poulton-hall-garden-opening.html

A Hot ‘Cool’ Day and a Windy Biodiversity Day

Wirral Wildlife volunteers were at two local events in May.

The Wirral Wildlife stall at Cool Heswall

‘Cool Heswall’ was held on May 14th in Hill House Gardens. It was organised by the Joint Rotary Environment Group to showcase local organisations with an environmental message to impart.

Visitors and stalls in the sunshine at Cool Heswall

We took information about our reserves, including New Ferry Butterfly Park and have since welcomed visitors who first heard about us there. We also had paper craft activities and bug houses for children to make. More than 30 other organisations were there including Wirral Countryside Volunteers, Wirral Borough Council's Tree Planting Officer, Planet Heswall, Waste Not Want Not, Friends of Hill House Gardens, Merseyside Cycling Campaign, Wirral Wombles and Our Dee Estuary. Visitors could find out about local flora and fauna, play a recycling game, take home a free native tree, make a paper seed pot and plant a seed, taste vegetarian soup and curry and lots more.

Wirral Countryside Volunteers stall,
where visitors could make a paper seed pot and plant a seed.

On May 26th a Biodiversity Day was held on the school field at Castleway Primary School, Leasowe. The day was inspired by the Wirral’s Wild 50 monthly activity sheets that Wirral Wildlife created to mark their 50th anniversary last year. These were made available to local schools. The event was organised jointly by Lynn Struve, Eco Schools Programme Manager for Wirral Council, Diana Powell, CEO of Wirral Unplugged and Naomi Graham, Project Manager at Wirral Environmental Network.

Learning about butterflies and their lifecycles at the Biodiversity Day.
Photo: Diana Powell

Several primary schools brought pupils to experience a wide range of activities. We had information about our reserves and the plants and animals found there. We looked at the life cycles of natterjack toads and butterflies and considered camouflage and symmetry. The pupils also had opportunity to look at the wildflower meadow and recent tree planting at Castleway, to learn about hedgehogs, make models of different animals and sow seeds.

Making a fold out lifecycle of the natterjack toad.
Photo: Diana Powell.

Unlike ‘Cool Heswall’ where the sun shone all day this day was damp and extremely windy and not everyone’s gazebo survived the day upright. Nevertheless the pupils were full of enthusiasm and chasing paper across the field added to the fun.

Learning how to identify trees from their leaves with Wirral Eco Schools

We must give a big thank you to our volunteers without whose involvement we wouldn’t be able to participate in these events.

Take part in the 2022 City Nature Challenge

City Nature Challenge 2022

Friday 29th April to Monday 2nd May

Help put our region on the map in this global nature recording event.

Record your wildlife sightings at any location of your choosing using your phone and the iNaturalist app. Don't worry if you're not sure of the species, other observers will help with ID from your photos.

RECORD are running drop in events, with 2 taking place in Wirral

RECORD are running two events in Wirral to help you get involved. Drop in to find out how you can be part of this amazing international Citizen Science project.

Saturday 30th April
10am - 3pm
Port Sunlight River Park

Sessions all day: Take part in a bug hunt.
11am: Beginners birdwatching walk (meet at the cafe)
2pm: Plant Detectives Walk (meet at the cafe)


Monday 2nd May
10am - 3pm
Wirral Country Park, Thurstaston

Sessions all day: Take part in a bug hunt.
11am: Beginners birdwatching walk (meet outside the visitor centre)

How to take part in the City Nature Challenge
and upload your sightings to iNaturalist

Find out more about these events and how to add your sightings to the Liverpool CIty Region iNaturalist results on the RECORD website:

https://record-lrc.co.uk/swift/cnc

A Simple Pleasure, Well Enjoyed

Tucking into afternoon tea at Poulton Hall Garden

Last month, Wirral Wildlife were fortunate enough to be offered Poulton Hall Parkland and Walled Garden for a fund and awareness raising event. Entrance to the wildflower meadow area required you to pass through a passage way of hedges excellently laid by Wirral Countryside Volunteers. The Countryside Volunteers were offering ‘have a go at hedge laying’ mock up on a fresh upright willow branch hedge, to be cut and laid between hedging stakes. Several guests relished the opportunity to pick up a billhook and slice part way through the willow stem and weave the stem to build a hedge.

Have a go at hedge laying

Along the mown path through the meadow you pass Scirard’s pillar where the inscription says in Latin “Scirard de Launcelyn flourished here in the year 1093”. Entering over the ha-ha you leave the wild area and enter the formal gardens in front of the hall. Continuing on through the shady garden you were able to check out the creatures that live in the shady pond with a bit of pond dipping, progressing through the fragrant rose garden where you could take in the perfume. At the end of the rose garden you were met by a witch who guided you into a wardrobe, from where you come out into the world of Narnia, the enchanted walled garden.

In the walled garden, there are so many features to take in, from triffids, to the smoking Jabberwock, to the Singing Rose. Every half an hour the chimes of the carillon bells play a different piece of music, and the end of the recital heralds the story teller to commence a tale. There were volunteer marshals to guide you around the one-way Covid secure system which also made sure you have a chance to see everything.

Being National Meadow Day there were tours of the meadow and hedgerow by Dr Hilary Ash. The meadow here was potato field until 1993 before being converted to a wildflower meadow. After many years of work, it was looking colourful with the yellow and red of buttercup and sorrel flowers, interspersed with the pink spikes of marsh orchids and blue saucers of meadow cranesbill. Above fluttered meadow brown butterflies. It now looks like a proper Cheshire hay meadow, a habitat that has been almost completely destroyed in the last 70 years. Hopefully it will become more species-rich over time, naturally or with some human help.

Is it a bird?

Scirard was asked what the feature behind the Dalek was? A guest thought it was an art feature. Scirard simply replied it was the top of a cut monkey puzzle tree (see photo above). It shows you how this garden puts you in the world of imagination and fantasy.

Despite the pouring rain in the morning the weather brightened for our guests. If it had been a little wet we were prepared with space in the conservatory and under gazebos. Seventy cream teas were consumed!

If Wirral Wildlife were afforded this opportunity again, they would jump at the chance, not only is it a fund and awareness raising event; it is also a chance of a social where members and friends can meet each other in a convivial and relaxing setting. It provided a wonderful occasion to reconnect with friends as for many it was the first time had actually seen their friends in 18 months.

Many thanks to our supportive hosts, to the 20 plus volunteers involved in running the event and to our friends at New Ferry Village Hall who lent the tables and robust market style gazebos.

Poulton Hall Garden Opening - 3rd July

Fruit trees in the Walled Garden at Poulton Hall

On Saturday 3rd July, from 2pm, we have kindly been offered the use of Poulton Hall Walled Gardens to raise awareness and funds for Wirral Wildlife and New Ferry Butterfly Park. Poulton Hall is situated just north of where the valley of the Clatter Brook joins the River Dibbin.

Caroline and Scirard Lancelyn Green, our hosts, are fervent wildlife supporters. Cheshire Wildlife Trust manage three of the Poulton Estate’s woodlands, namely Foxes Wood, Thornton Wood and Intake wood, which are all part of Dibbindale SSSI and are being the finest examples of ancient woodland in Merseyside. Cheshire Wildlife Trust also manages a small wildflower area for the Estate known as Tom’s Paddock which acts as woodland glade for Foxes Wood.

Hedgerows and trees in the Poulton Hall gardens

Wirral Countryside Volunteers have used the hall grounds to host four very enjoyable and successful hedge laying training days when a mixed hedge of nine shrub species was laid and an example of each species left as a standard tree. Although some of the species do not normally form standard trees, this has been achieved. Why nine species of shrub? One species of shrub for every century the family have resided here. This 400metre hedge is hand trimmed with secateurs by staff at the hall. This dedication to detail and aftercare much impressed the Wirral Countryside Volunteers, no split ends here.

Wildflower meadow at Poulton Hall gardens

Adjacent to this species rich hedge bedecked with a diverse species of standard trees lies a colourful wildflower meadow with some notable species such as early purple orchids. Guided tours of this area will be given as well as a self-guided trail being available. Have a go hedge-laying mock ups will be available as well as have a go with a scythe. You can make a newspaper pot and sow a seed to take home to nurture. All this wildlife to enjoy even before you have crossed the ha-ha and walked into the more formal gardens.

Classical Garden at Poulton Hall

The series of gardens are an eclectic mixture of themes with literary connotations from Greek mythology, Beowulf, Arthurian legends, Shakespeare, Alice in Wonderland to a Dalek. There are over 40 interesting artistic features to view in the garden with four new features to spot this year.

Spot the Viking head

There's a witch in the garden

The shrub and flower collections are colourful, impressive and inspirational. There will be various activities such as pond dipping and a costume jewellery sale. There will be story telling every half an hour following the chimes from the set of the 32 bells at the hall.

Fountain and willows

To walk around the garden and meadow taking in all these fascinating features is about one mile and will take about two hours, but you may like to take the opportunity to sit down and enjoy a cream tea and soak up the atmosphere before heading round to view more of the gardens. There is a children’s themed garden inspired by nursery rhymes.

Narnia themed garden at Poulton Hall

For entrance to the gardens and to make sure there is a cream tea waiting for you and your friends book online. Admission £6 for entrance, £9.50 for entrance and cream tea, under 16s free.  

http://www.poultonhall.co.uk/GardenOpenings.html

Pergolas in the garden at Poulton Hall

We look forward to welcoming you to these wonderful gardens.

50 Years of Wirral Wildlife

In the early days of the Cheshire Conservation Trust (how Cheshire Wildlife Trust was originally known), Wirral group was part of the West group based in Chester. Sixty members living in Wirral were needed before the Group could become autonomous. That happened at a meeting at Bebington Oval on 7th April 1971. We now have over 2250 members.

The original committee consisted of Chairman Major Frank White, Margaret Gilmour, Henry Larsen, Nora MacMillan (Mrs Mac), David Mills, Jane Ratcliffe, Richard Smith and Graham Taylor.

The group manned two caravans each summer weekend, one at Thurstaston Visitor Centre and one at Eastham Country Park and meetings were held at a variety of venues. Jim Gilmour, a previous Secretary to the committee, remembered passing a queue waiting for our jumble sale in Liscard and hearing a woman wondering what a ‘Conversation Trust’ actually did. After Wirral became part of Merseyside in 1974 we changed our name to Wirral Wildlife.

We had little base data on species distribution in 1971 – an essential pre-requisite of conservation action. Recording of species in Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and Local Wildlife Sites has been carried out regularly since then. The information accumulated by our recorders has been of value to the Planning Department and Ranger Service. Our records and plans have been incorporated into management plans and used to obtain grants. They have enabled us to contribute knowledgeably to Council initiatives like the Local Plan and make recommendations when we scrutinise planning applications for their impact on wildlife.

We are now involved with six Wirral nature reserves and practical work is led by honorary wardens and teams of volunteers. Our urban reserve, New Ferry Butterfly Park, celebrated being open to the public for 25 years in 2020.

A busy day at New Ferry Butterfly Park

We have also created a programme of talks and guided walks open to the public. Monthly talks from September to April are held in Heswall Hall and feature a wide range of speakers.  In the summer guided walks include a (very early) Dawn Chorus and a bluebell walk.  Each autumn we hold an Apple Day at Eastham Country Park where visitors can taste locally grown varieties of apples and help to make juice using our traditional wooden apple press. Our group also attends events like Science Day at Ness Gardens, Ness Children’s Day and Science under the Stars.

Our display at Ness Science Day

None of these things would be possible without a dedicated team who form the Wirral Wildlife committee and the host of volunteers who help out in so many different ways. We value their support and we are all committed to a Wirral richer in wildlife.

Science Under The Stars

We are currently considering what we can do to celebrate this 50 year milestone. For our 40th anniversary we met in November at Brotherton Park, Dibbinsdale and planted two native black poplars.

Tree planting at Dibbinsdale to mark our 40th Anniversary

When the newly formed committee left the Oval in April 1971 they could have had no idea of how the world would change. In 2017 we were awarded the Queens Award for Voluntary Service in recognition of the impact the group has had in protecting nature in Wirral. Our aim is to inspire, inform, educate and encourage people to protect nature in Wirral – values that were as true in 1971 as they are today.

Acknowledgment: most of the early information was taken from an article written by Jim Gilmour for our 40th anniversary.