A Pearl of a Park

The Butterfly Park's 30th Birthday celebrations at Windsor Close Community Centre

New Ferry Butterfly Park’s 30th Birthday party was held at Windsor Close Community Centre, New Ferry. This venue is where many of the Park activities have been planned. The room was set out cabaret style with nine of the Green Flags awarded to the park being used as tablecloths to colour the place up and as a roll of honour. As well as tea and coffee, there was a good selection of homemade cakes and savoury snacks.

Green Flags from years past used as tablecloths

The inspiration for the Butterfly Park came from the late Mel Roberts, who lived adjacent to the site. His original booklet dated 1991 entitled  “A proposal for the re-development of the old Alma Street Goods Yard at Bebington and New Ferry Station”, and his display boards were on display. Both were used to convince the Cheshire Wildlife Trust to take the Park on board. There was also an opening day programme from 15th July 1995 when Lyndon Harrison, West Cheshire MEP, officially opened the Park.

A display about the history of the Butterfly Park

There was a modern poster display put up by Linda and also a rolling PowerPoint presentation from over the years featuring many celebrations and much cutting of cakes with billhooks! Despite being deeply involved in the Park for a considerable length of time, most attendees learned something new about the Park.

Carol Ramsay’s open day poem of 2014 struck a chord with many, as it is true for every year. Here it is for another airing.

Carol's Reflections on the Butterfly Park Open Day

Well, wow what a really lovely day we've just had.

Now that it's over we're actually quite sad.

Many thanks to the Mayor and also to the Dame, 

to the stall holders and everybody else who came.

A few butterflies were spotted as the weather stayed nice,

and ladybirds and shield bugs as well as woodlice.

People loved pedalling the smoothie bike

and the Barbecue was another big like. 

Green flag rose high, seen by visitors and passersby;

but the newts are now tired; we cannot lie. 

The day is over, the volunteers are all spent, yet we're all 

delighted with how well it went.

Carol Ramsay 2014 

Then Hilary Ash, the longest standing volunteer of those associated with the Park, began the speeches. She first met Mel in June 1991 when Wirral Wildlife hosted a stall at Ness Gardens; who knows what happens when you host a stall? Mel explained about the Alma Street Goods Yard and Hilary was immediately very interested, as the subject of her PhD was developing derelict land for nature conservation purposes. Thirty years on we can see the results of his foresight.

Hilary thanked all those volunteers present, the long-standing volunteers and those who could not make it and remembering those who are no longer with us.

Dr Hilary Ash, giving a speech with Mel's display in background 

Charles Neame, Vice-Chair of Cheshire Wildlife Trust, was invited as guest of honour.  Charles is no stranger to the park as he came on an apple grafting course at the park and successfully grafted an Ecclestone Pippin in 2019. He was one of the guests of honour at the 2024 opening day when the tiles in the brick pillars of the silver jubilee gates were unveiled.  Charles said a few generous words on how the Cheshire Wildlife Trust derived kudos from the work of the volunteers at the Park and declared, “Here is to the Butterfly Park and all who sail in her”, cutting the ceremonial cake, a second brood female white butterfly, with a billhook expertly and accurately straight down the middle.  Charles, you will have to take up hedge laying.

The butterfly birthday cake

Charles Neame, of Cheshire Wildlife Trust, cutting the cake with a billhook - something of a Butterfly Park tradition!

Charles was presented with a large jar of blackberry jam made by Paul and Philippa Loughnane, from blackberries picked at the Park just a few days before. The stocks of jam created from blackberries at the Park are used through the year for ceremonial cakes and workday cakes.

Charles with the jar of homemade blackberry jam

Some of the Butterfly Park committee members with Charles Neame

Formalities over, much chat was enjoyed. There was a great buzz to the room, with the making of re-acquaintances and chance to engage with the larger volunteer team. Hilary led a tour of guests around the perk. Thanks to all who contributed; cakes, savoury snacks, washed and dried dishes and swept the floor at the end leaving the community centre spotless, as ever great Butterfly Park teamwork. Thanks to all the volunteers who have contributed to the success of the park over the last 30 years. If you do visit the park soon, bring a tub down and collected some tasty blackberries, there are loads for wildlife and humans.

Paul Loughnane

Photographs by Paul Loughnane, Hilary Ash and Mike Inger

Cleaver Heath Restoration Update

A visit to Cleaver Heath

Some members of Wirral Wildlife committee and Cleaver Heath managers visited Cleaver Heath on 4th August to see the restoration work that was started last spring.

An area dominated by bracken and gorse was scraped back to mineral soil, using funding raised by Woodchurch High School and our own fund-raising. Since then the volunteers have been working hard to remove remaining bracken roots.

An area that has been cleared of bracken and gorse

In the photo above the nearest part to the camera has been cleared, but the further part needs work.

More volunteers to help would be much appreciated - please email info@wirralwildlife.org.uk if you would like to help.

Habitat restoration is a slow business, but we hope in a few years’ time the cleared area will look more like the top area of the heath, shown below.

Heather in flower at Cleaver Heath

Dr Hilary Ash
Honorary Conservation Officer, Wirral Wildlife

Spring/Summer 2025 Prize Quiz: Winner and Answers

Cumulus clouds - the answer to clue 13

Very many thanks to everyone who entered our weather themed quiz. Your support is very much appreciated and the money sent to Wirral Wildlife for the entrance fees is most welcome.

We received a total of 139 entries, of which 37 were all correct. We had a random draw to select the winner, who is Shelley Challenger, of Chippenham.

Here are the answers to the clues:

1. Singing boy on thoroughfare with rodent (American) – maybe on cloud nine? (11). ALTOSTRATUS

2. Do I hear my mother’s sister working within a succession of recurring events? (11). ANTICYCLONE

3. Uses the bathroom after a danger loses energy. (5, 7). APRIL SHOWERS

4. You might think this is a measuring instrument for pubs. (9). BAROMETER

5. Bee first landed on Cornish promontory, I heard. (8). BLIZZARD

6. Mary, the baker, taking on one of the seven deadly sins after losing Romeo, was assailed by this weather. (8). BLUSTERY

7. Have a KitKat where computer files may be stored, letting 45 through. (5, 2, 3, 5). BREAK IN THE CLOUD

8. Talking of French cheeses? (6). BREEZE

9. Romeo takes one of Charlie’s places in the Big Top. (6). CIRRUS

10. Hackneyed expression including pal, and also all new German leaders. (7, 6). CLIMATE CHANGE

11. Was that Charlie with a noisy explosion? (10). CLOUDBURST

12. Viral infection ahead! (4, 5). COLD FRONT

13. Looking back initially, sunlight usually lifted up most undeveloped clouds. (7). CUMULUS

14. “From the empty air appearing, into empty air returning, taking shape when earth it touches, but invisible to all men in its coming and its going.” – The Song of Hiawatha. (3). DEW

15. The insectivorous plant sundew points its sticky leaf-hairs towards the sun. (3, 5). DEW POINT

16. Soft feathers beside Italian river and ancient city. (8). DOWNPOUR

17. Doctor really should look for water. (7). DROUGHT

18. In Rinteln in old British army base (in Germany) during the 1950s, my cousin did National Service. (2, 4). EL NIÑO

19. Prolonged 16 produces two kinds of light. (5, 5). FLASH FLOOD

20. Weather you may find in France or Germany, primarily, mending a tattered garment. (3, 7). FOG PATCHES

21. This will need treatment. What’s best for it? (9). FROSTBITE

22. Category 8 according to Sir Francis. (4, 5, 4). GALE FORCE WIND

23. World conflict about Chinese dynasty. (6, 7). GLOBAL WARMING

24. Aftermath of painted dwelling? (10, 6). GREENHOUSE EFFECT

25. Are you leaving us to face this variable weather? (4). GUST

26. Greet ageing rock band enthusiastically. (10). HAILSTONES

27. Was Edward Heath a zealous Europhile? (4, 4). HEAT HAZE

28. Will Hong-Kong leader take in food with a gesture? (8). HEATWAVE

29. Stoned news media by Yorkshire river. (4, 8). HIGH PRESSURE

30. Did I hear Adam and Eve say “Get a move on, son!”, or words to that effect? (9). HURRICANE

31. Apache adder perhaps? (6, 6). INDIAN SUMMER

32. Matt jeers rudely. (9). JETSTREAM

33. Is this the study of shooting stars? No! (11). METEOROLOGY

34. “This is a mistrial,” said the judge, “I’m leaving.” (7). MISTRAL

35. Little Monday is approaching. (7). MONSOON

36. I get out of minibus when it breaks down. (6). NIMBUS

37. Six balls for the actors. (8). OVERCAST

38. If you start running again in November, you will get soaked. (4). RAIN

39. Domesticated animals on the throne reportedly. (7, 4, 3, 4). RAINING CATS AND DOGS

40. Condition welcomed by one in charge of lambs. (3, 3, 2, 5). RED SKY AT NIGHT

41. Whisky didn’t hit the spot, we’re told. (6, 4). SCOTCH MIST

42. Seen in sea areas like Viking, Faeroes, Fair Isle, etc. (5). SLEET

43. Stir up – down first, on a windy winter’s day. (9). SNOWDRIFT

44. Is this the worst Mons weather? (9). SNOWSTORM

45. CJ, who “didn’t get where I am today by …” was boss of these desserts. (8). SUNSHINE

46. Someone unlocked the pearly gates, causing 16. (3, 7, 6). THE HEAVENS OPENED

47. Audio-visual display (from two German reindeer?) (7, 3, 9). THUNDER AND LIGHTNING

48. Ripped with what Shakespeare found a lot of concerning nought. (7). TORNADO

49. Motorcar spoilt, vandalised, but nothing stolen. (8, 5). TROPICAL STORM

50. Looked behind, not in, French Riviera city once more, as George would say. (6, 3, 4, 5). TURNED OUT NICE AGAIN

Here are some notes on the clues that seemed to cause the most difficulty:

3. APRIL SHOWERS – “a danger” = “a peril”; “shower” couldn’t be accepted, as the clue

requires third person singular.

7. BREAK IN THE CLOUD – We didn’t accept “clouds” because computer files are stored in

“The Cloud”, and “clouds” has too many letters.

8. BREEZE – nothing in the clue would suggest a second syllable, so “breezy” was not

accepted.

12. COLD FRONT – We didn’t allow “cold spell” as it didn’t fit with “ahead” in the clue.

15. DEW POINT – Dew point is the temperature at which dew starts to form. The whole

phrase was hidden in the clue: “… sundew points …”.

20. FOG PATCHES – This is a phrase commonly used in weather forecasts.

22. GALE FORCE WIND – A lot of people put “gale, fresh gale”; both are terms used to

describe a Force 8 wind, but “gale, fresh gale” is not an expression that is commonly used.

23. GLOBAL WARMING – A popular entry was “global warning”, but we are not aware of a

“Ning” dynasty; also the phrase is not weather-related.

24. GREENHOUSE EFFECT – Several people put in “greenhouse gases”, some spelling it

“gasses” in order to fit the letter count. But there is nothing in the clue that refers to gases.

26. HAILSTONES – The Rolling Stones is the rock band that the clue refers to. “Stones” is a

common shorthand for the band. We also accepted “Hailstorms” in recognition that “Storm”

is the name of a rock band. “Hailstone” and Hailstorm” were not accepted – too few letters.

33. METEOROLOGY – This is the study of the atmosphere, with focus on weather-

forecasting.

42. SLEET – A lot of people didn’t spot this hidden in the clue: “… Fair Isle etc.”

43. SNOWDRIFT – Anagram of “down first”.

45. SUNSHINE – This refers to the BBC sitcom “The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin”.

Perrin worked for a firm called “Sunshine Desserts”.

50. TURNED OUT NICE AGAIN – This was a catch phrase used by George Formby, the

Lancashire entertainer.

Mayor Keeps Countryside Volunteers at the Cutting Edge

The gathering crowd at the Wirral Countryside Volunteers 40th Anniversary celebrations

Mayor, Councillor Brian Kenny, and Mayoress, Helen Kenny, marked 40 years of Wirral Countryside Volunteers and helped keep them at the cutting edge at their 40th year celebration BBQ at New Ferry Butterfly Park.

First, the Mayor unveiled a foot treadle operated sandstone wheel, recently restored by the volunteers. The wheel is used for sharpening axes and billhooks which are required for effective coppicing and hedge laying. The mayor had a go turning the wheel and sharpening a billhook.

WCV's Paul Loughnane showing the Mayor how to sharpen a billhook

The mayor gave a great speech about the achievements of the volunteers making it to their 40th year and how they have worked on over 40 Wirral sites, on council sites and other areas, with rangers, Friends Groups and farmers as well as having helped with open days at New Ferry Butterfly Park and afternoon teas at Poulton Hall.

An amazing seven kilometres of hedge has been laid/restored by the Wirral Countryside Volunteers over the last 40 years, and they have kept the local Cheshire style of hedge laying alive by taking part in local and national competitions. They have promoted hedgerow restoration and have hosted twenty free hedge laying training days, which proved to be exceedingly popular with fifty-eight people on one occasion. The Volunteers hedge laying projects have been sustained by hedging stakes harvested from coppicing regimes at Thornton Wood, Eastham Country Park and New Ferry Butterfly Park. These coppice regimes have benefited the spring woodland flowers. As well as being experts in hedge laying and coppicing they are also experts in scything which they use to maintain wildflower meadows and woodland glades around Wirral and in particular at New Ferry Butterfly Park.

The 40th anniversary cake

The Mayor and Mayoress slicing the cake with a billhook

After the speech, the mayor and mayoress sliced a ceremonial cake made by the group’s treasurer. They cut the cake together using a billhook, a tool used for cutting the woody stems in hedge laying. Following this, they raised the Green Flag for New Ferry Butterfly Park which the Wirral Countryside Volunteers have had a constant and extensive input into for the last 30 years. This is the 13th consecutive year the park has gained this award.

The Mayoress raises the Green Flag with Wirral Countryside Volunteers

The mayor met many of the volunteers who were enjoying a BBQ, including Jonathan Grice, one of the original volunteers from 1985!

The BBQ team

Mayor with an original 1985 Wirral Countryside Volunteer

The mayor had a go at scything the meadows and viewed laid hedges. The enthusiasm and gusto of the mayor impressed everyone. The Mayor of Wirral was a delightful guest of honour.

The Mayor has a go at scything

Paul Loughnane, Secretary, Wirral Countryside Volunteers

Tea, Tours and Traditional Skills: Poulton Hall Open Gardens 2025

Looking through the meadow towards Poulton Hall

The Lancelyn-Greens hosted an open garden event at Poulton Hall Walled Garden and parkland as a fundraiser for Wirral Wildlife and New Ferry Butterfly Park. Poulton Hall lies secluded by woods just above the 'Dibbinsdale Dip' on Poulton Road which connects Spital Crossroads and Bromborough. Many people pass the hall in their cars, but few get a chance to visit -  however when they do, they are delighted to find such an enchanting area on their doorstep.

Meadow Tour at Poulton Hall Gardens

Celebrating National Meadows Day, the first Saturday of July, Dr Hilary Ash gave two meadow tours with the first one having the largest number of participants to date. The tour was a great chance to celebrate meadows and increase awareness about the vital role meadows play in supporting biodiversity, providing habitats for wildlife and enhancing the landscape. Hilary is a keen grass champion and is good at encouraging others to gain an interest in the 12 different grass species present. As well as the interesting flora there were a respectable number of meadow brown butterflies fluttering around the meadow. Marsh Orchids were popular, and there was a good population of Yellow Rattle, which weakens the grasses and allows more wildflowers to thrive.

The Wirral Countryside Volunteers area with a woven hurdle demonstration

Wirral Countryside Volunteers (WCV), who were set up in the parkland under the shade of the large oak, had a mock-up hedge to have a go at hedge laying. This gained a few participants and acted as a window shop for WCV, as a Willaston landowner was interested in getting the WCV to lay his hedge. The WCV will follow up and investigate this lead. There were tool sharpening demonstrations where most the of tool edges were so highly polished, they were like mirrors. Also a newspaper pot making and seed sowing seed activity. There was a display about the coppicing the volunteers conduct in Thornton Wood which is part of the Poulton Hall Estate. New this year was 'have a go at making a woven hurdle'. This hurdle was a small one, but the WCV realised a miniature one would be an even better activity for youngsters. It could be put on a table, would be easily to complete and make a take-home souvenir of the day.

The mock hedge

There was a taster archery session laid on by Wirral Archers; their coaches were good and coached complete novices until they could shoot arrows to hit the golden area in the centre of the target. Butterfly related crafts for children raised awareness of New Ferry Butterfly Park and Wirral Wildlife. It was possible to learn about honeybees, local archaeology, buy some plants sold to support the Samaritans, listen to stories, be greeted by a witch and just enjoy the main feature, the enchanting gardens followed by a cream tea. It is very much a personal and family garden - charming, quirky, full of humour and literary associations. It is a memorial to Roger Lancelyn-Green, the biographer and writer of children’s fiction.

Anyone for a cream tea?

Two volunteers were going round with a tea pot to bring tea and cake for the volunteers on stalls and parking duties, but guests hailed us for a top up of tea - not really our job, but as we had the means to hand, we were happy to oblige!

Thanks to Caroline and Scirard Lancelyn-Green, the Poulton Hall Estate Team and the twenty-two volunteers who supported this event on the day, those who worked behind the scenes transporting gazebos and woody materials, baking cakes for the volunteers and those who came tidying up on the Monday.


Paul Loughnane

(Photographs by Paul Loughnane and Ben Hart)

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)

MP Makes Cuts, Much To Everyone’s Joy!

New Ferry Butterfly Park held its 14th Opening Day on Sunday May 4th - the first May Bank holiday. This event marks the start of the park’s open season to the public. This year was special as it marks the 30th season of the park being open to the public.

Guest of honour was Justin Madders, MP for the Ellesmere and Bromborough constituency. Justin came to the extreme northwest corner of this new constituency, which ends at the north and west boundaries of New Ferry Butterfly Park. Justin Madders thanked all the volunteers who have kept this well-loved community asset open and are ensuring its continual improvements. He also talked of the importance of biodiversity to everyone.

Justin made a presentation to Howard Gibson who has been mowing the grass at the park for a monumental 27 years. Thanks a million. This mowing regime has reduced the grassland fertility and increased the value of the grasslands at the park to invertebrates as increased nectar and pollen sources are now available. The visual attractiveness of these grasslands has improved considerably too. Mowing the path edges sets off the area of tall grasses well. 

Justin Madders MP thanking Howard for mowing at the Butterfly Park

Justin, much to everyone’s delight, then sliced a Brimstone butterfly cake with a billhook. This delicious cake was rapidly consumed by guests. Brimstone butterflies are large yellow showy butterflies which can easily been seen from some distance.  

Justin Madders about to slice a brimstone butterfly cake with a billhook

The Brimstone butterfly is significant to the park. The cubs based at Saint John the Evangelist, New Ferry, planted alder buckthorn, the caterpillar food plant for these butterflies in 2004. A decade later the presence of brimstone butterfly eggs confirmed that brimstones were breeding at the park. This was the first recording of breeding brimstone butterflies in the Wirral peninsula. Alistair Noakes, from Butterfly Conservation, was at hand on the opening day with a display of the brimstone life cycle and was able to show guests the actual tiny milk bottle shaped eggs of the brimstone butterflies and the first instar caterpillars already munching away on the spring flush of fresh alder buckthorn leaves at the park. 

A real brimstone butterfly!

The 1,134 guests enjoyed a tempting BBQ, delicious homemade cake, a tombola stall and local craft stalls.

 June & Asal on the cake stall

Over 18 miles were pedalled on the cycle smoothie powering a blender.

The cycle smoothie

Wildlife exhibits enabled close encounters with spiders, newts, slow worms, owls and a skunk.  

The Owl Man, with his owls

RECORD, the Local Environmental Records Centre for Cheshire, Halton, Warrington and Wirral was there to help guests hone up their recording skills of plant and animals and informing them how to contribute their records.  

Wildlife spotting with RECORD

Alternatively, you could sow seeds in newspaper pots and buy plants lovingly grow by volunteers.

Steve from Wirral Countryside Volunteers showing how to make plant pots from newspaper

Just some of the plants on sale

There was a stall about honeybees and honey from the park was also available.

Local honey from Flourish at Ford Way, who have some hives in the Butterfly Park

A new attraction this year was storytelling: the children were spellbound by the words of the storyteller and entered a world of calm. They made up their own stories about butterflies and they all knew about their life cycles.

Sue from Zig Zag Tales in the storytelling area

The BBQ supplies were sponsored by kind donations from the following businesses:

Efes, King Street, Wallasey
Refreshment Rooms, Bedford Road, Rock Ferry
Tesco, Bebington Road, Bebington
Pensby Kebab House, Pensby Road, Pensby
Pronto Pizza, Seaview Road, Liscard
Wylde Bakery, Bebington Road, Bebington
Bridging the Wallasey Gap, Poulton Road, Wallasey
Bookers Cash and Carry, Union Street, Birkenhead
Station Cafe, Wallgate, Wigan
Chegone Takeaway, Grange Road West, Birkenhead
K & N Fruit and Veg, Oxton Road, Birkenhead
Vitto Pizzeria. Poulton Road, Wallasey
Pizza Point, Argyle Street, Birkenhead

These businesses give back to the community, so you might like to support them and if you do, thank them for supporting New Ferry Butterfly Park!

The BBQ team

The park is now open every Sunday between 12 noon and 4 pm until mid-September, so do come back on a quieter Sunday and enjoy the succession of wildlife as the season progresses. The plant sale continues throughout the season.  

Paul Loughnane
Hon Secretary, New Ferry Butterfly Park