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

Bees at New Ferry Butterfly Park

Here is Roy Lowry's latest report on his findings at the Butterfly Park, along with a selection of his photos.

I am trying to do an invertebrate photo survey - effectively a survey of flying insects - of New Ferry Butterfly Park at least once every two weeks during 2023. My most recent visit on 15th April gave me the opportunity to photograph the following bees.

Apis mellifera (w) Western honeybee worker

Andrena labiata (m) Red-girdled mining bee (only 3rd record in Cheshire) male

Andrena labiata (m) Red-girdled mining bee 

Anthrophora plumipes (f) Hairy-footed flower bee female

Anthrophora plumipes (f) Hairy-footed flower bee female

Anthrophora plumipes (m) Hairy-footed flower bee male

Andrena fulva (f) Tawny mining bee female

Andrena fulva (f) Tawny mining bee female

Bombus vestalis (f) Vestal cuckoo bumblebee female

Bombus vestalis (f) Vestal cuckoo bumblebee female

Osmia bicornis (m) Red mason bee male

Bombus pratorum (w) Early bumblebee queen

Melecta albifrons (m) Common mourning bee male

Melecta albifrons (m) Common mourning bee male

Bombus pascuorum (q) Common carder bumblebee queen

Andrena nitida (f) Grey-patched mining bee

Andrena nitida (f) Grey-patched mining bee

In addition, there were several Bombus terrestris queens burrowing around in the undergrowth without giving me a clear shot. I was pleasantly surprised at such apine diversity in an urban environment, and it brought home the value of the reserve to me.

We Did It! Pond Repair at the Butterfly Park

Moving the pond liner into position

On Tuesday, the volunteer team at New Ferry Butterfly Park safely achieved a difficult task, after some very detailed planning and with extremely careful execution. The new pond liner, all 350kg of it, was (slowly and carefully) moved into position at the end of the pond, attached to ropes and a winch, and very slowly unrolled into the pond, rolled along the base, then up the other side. At which point we heaved a sigh of relief and had lunch!

Unrolling the liner across the pond

Rolling the liner across the base and up the other side of the pond

Opening it out proved easy, and we were the able to run in 4000 litres of water from our 4 big tanks plus all we had stored in buckets, barrels and an old bath.

Opening out the pond liner

Adding water back to the pond

Some pond weed went back in and a number of newts, diving beetles, dragonfly larvae and doubtless other life. So it is beginning to look like a pond again, with a tired and happy team.

Adding buckets of water containing pondweed and newts

Beginning to look like a pond again!

It has to be left now for a few days for the liner to adjust, then we can start on the process of getting clay to spread on the edges, tidying the liner edges and rolling the turves back. The pond will then need this summer to recover, but we hope to be able to have a small barrel with some pond life in for visitors to meet on Sunday afternoons.

The pond has been left for the liner to settle before we carry out the next stages of the repair work

Leaky Pond at the Butterfly Park

Low water level in the leaking pond

New Ferry Butterfly Park's popular dipping pond developed a leak last summer, as became obvious once we had some autumn rain. After various failed attempts to find the leak, we have had to take a deep breath and decide to re-line it with a much better (but expensive) pond liner. So the remaining water, plants, sludge with pond life and, of course, newts had to come out into various containers and the nearby ditch!

Plants removed and water pumping has commenced

Many thanks to EA Technology for loan of a generator, to Richard S for loan of a pump, various people but especially Brian for providing water storage, and the the volunteers who got very wet and muddy on 4th April! By the end of the day we had the pond emptied, several hundred newts temporarily homed in an old bath and the ditch, the pond walls cleared of stones, broken glass, metal, plastic (no valuables, just two 5p pieces), and two layers of underlay installed and taped down. We now have the problem of safely moving the liner itself, 350kg, about 50m across the grass and down into the pond to where we can open it up.

Nearly there. Time for lunch...

The last few buckets.

P.S. The liner cost us over £3000, so if you are coming to the Butterfly Park on the Opening Day on 30th April, or any Sunday afterwards, and can spare a little extra money, there will be a collecting pot by the pond.

The underlay for the pond, ready for the liner to be put in place.

Sell Out Hedge Laying Event!

Down the hedge laying line. Photo: Dave Edwards

On Saturday 4th February, the Wirral Countryside Volunteers (WCV) held their 17th Cheshire style free hedge laying course. It was a great success; it was a complete sell out with twenty-two trainees, fourteen trainers and four essential support volunteers. These essential support volunteers helped with directing parking, making and distributing the tea and homemade cakes, as well as taking the emergency contact details of attendees and keeping the site tidy by gathering over 400 tree guard spirals and their supporting bamboo canes from when the hedge was planted. The bamboo canes will be recycled into bug houses during wildlife projects with local schools.

WCV used the Eventbrite platform for booking. The event was oversubscribed and there was also a waiting list. A week prior to the training event an email prompt was sent to the booked participants to check if they were coming and if they could not make it to cancel their tickets to make space for others. This resulted in a few dropouts and created space for all those on our waiting list to join. It was well worth sending the confirmation email. The 16th training event had eight no-shows on the day! This time only one no show. The event was limited by the length of hedge available for the group to lay on that day.  

There was a broad range of ages including a granddaughter who came with her grandmother, Liverpool John Moores University Conservation Society students, couples, fathers with sons and daughters, as well as people with pony paddocks. The participants came from Wirral and beyond from Flintshire, Denbighshire and as far afield as Sedbergh, Cumbria. Asking what had sparked their interest in hedge laying, one trainee said he’d seen it on Countryfile over Christmas. 

A young hedge layer with passers-by on the public footpath. Photo: Dave Edwards

The hedge was at Wood Park Farm, Neston, a commercial dairy farm run by the University of Liverpool for research and veterinary training purposes. It was a young hedge with 5cm diameter stems and nearly two and a half metres in height making a perfect beginners hedge.  There was not much brash to remove just a little siding up. Prior to the event the hedge was broken into 13 lengths, with the first two pleachers laid off, so, at the beginning of the training day there was an obvious starting point for each length, which enabled everyone to get started into the hedge laying quickly. The hedge was adjacent to a public footpath and the passers-by were complementary about the hedge laying. Arnold Plumley, a local judge from the Cheshire Ploughing and Hedge Cutting Society, came along to give the trainees and trainers pointers to improve their hedge laying techniques. Arnold was impressed with the number of cutters and the quality of the hedge laying.

Hedge laying under Arnold's watchful eye. Photo: Paul Loughnane

Participants were sent an online feedback survey to complete to know what went well for them and what could be improved. All of the comments were positive. One declared, ”I thoroughly enjoyed the day, from arrival to finish you were made to feel welcome. All the trainers were friendly and approachable. I was fortunate to have Aidan as my trainer who was immensely helpful and knowledgeable. The training was hands on which I believe is the best way to learn. The lunch break where tea and cake were provided gave the opportunity to speak to both trainers and trainees. There was a good cross section of trainees: male, female, young, old etc. It was my first attempt at hedge laying and I was pleased with the outcome. It was a great day out, don’t know how to improve it.“ 

Wirral Countryside Volunteer Aiden teaching a hedge laying trainee. Photo: Dave Edwards

A second enthused, “Very impressed with the provision of tea, cake and appropriate tools. Excellent directions to get to the venue. The student/teacher ratio (2:1) was far better than expected and therefore the ability to put in to practice was not encumbered.” 

Thanks go to John Cameron, the Farm Manager and his team in the transporting of tools and stakes to the hedge and dealing with the brash.

In the Cheshire Ploughing and Hedge Cutting Match September 2022, a third of the cutters came from the WCV. One trainee from the WCV 15th training day in November 2019, Philip Pullen from the Isle of Man, joined three of the WCV in the National Match at Wallingford, Oxfordshire in October 2022 as a competitor in the Cheshire Class.  So, these training days are delivering results for hedge laying both locally and nationally, with several eager new  hedge layers keen for the 2023/24 season to start.

Spring/Summer 2023 Quiz

See if you can crack the cryptic clues in our tree and shrub themed quiz

The Spring/ Summer 2023 Prize Quiz consists of 50 cryptic clues to the names of trees and shrubs. All the plants may be found in the UK, although not all are native.

Price per entry: £1

All money raised by selling quiz sheets will go to Wirral Wildlife.

A £10 gift voucher will be awarded to the person with the best overall score.

The closing date is 31st July 2023.

Download the quiz and instructions here

Autumn/Winter 2022 Prize Quiz: Winner and Answers

Curlew (the answer to question 12). Photo: MPF, Wikimedia Commons

The judging of the Autumn/Winter 2022 Red-listed Birds quiz is complete. The winner is John Bland of Sinfin, Derby. Congratulations John, your gift voucher is on its way!

Here are the answers to the cryptic clues.

1. This is where the quiz starts, so have a go! (4). Shag

2. Environment-friendly foxtrot, move along slowly (10). Greenfinch

3. Once round the track with outside left (or right) following (7). Lapwing

4. This one upset Milner (6). Merlin

5. One of a pair received on Boxing Day (6, 4). Turtle Dove

6. Sam, almost thirty, shaken up (5, 3). Marsh Tit

7. Duck hiding in the reeds has me wishing I could get a bit closer (4) Smew

8. Celestial body dallies without hesitation, not south (8). Starling

9. Type of clock, crazy, found in cloud land (6). Cuckoo

10. Is there a yodel gene for this one? (9). Goldeneye

11. In Switzerland, surrounded by what? (8). Whinchat

12. Copper, with both hands, caught you, I heard (6). Curlew

13. Italian river and Somerset town (7). Pochard

14. Accommodation, and market-trendy too (5, 6). House Martin

15. Not a bird, but a blithe spirit, according to one Romantic poet (7). Skylark

16. Herr Heinar disturbed this one (3, 7). Hen Harrier

17. Game of fifty shades, with section of a mountain chain (4, 9). Grey Partridge

18. Pine, alder or crab apple perhaps, and a seed of this last with sex appeal (4, 5). Tree Pipit

19. Deprived of all oxygen, newspaper exclusive about gold (5). Scaup

20. Flags out to celebrate a sore toe? (4, 7). Corn Bunting

21. Pure plans ripped carelessly (6, 9). Purple Sandpiper

22. In going birdwatching to find this bird, my hands were very cold, as I only had unlined gloves with me (6). Dunlin

23. Fish (that adorns the lady’s finger?) with person easily fooled following (7,4). Herring Gull

24. I hear equipment coming before the first thing I do every morning (9). Kittiwake

25. Sable followed our Lord with unfinished ... (5-6, 6). Black-tailed Godwit

26. ... business.  M & M working with North British Queen (6, 6). Common Scoter

27. Sounds like a shaggy dog story: and ‘e would briefly bow his head (4-6, 4). Long-tailed Duck

28. Exist with parts of candles, starts seeing way at night (7, 4). Bewick’s Swan

29. Does this one specialise in trapping insects with acne? (7, 10). Spotted Flycatcher

30. Shout “That hurts!”, starting with a good tantrum and injured looks! (6, 7). Yellow Wagtail

31. Look for this one in bushes, but don’t fall in nettles. (6). Linnet

32. Not so much hesitation seen; romantically pursue daughter, give ‘er a tiny kiss (6, 7, 10). Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

33. Wear preloved ring (6, 6). Ringed Plover

34. Accommodate Bath, perhaps, with right uproar (5, 7). House Sparrow

35. Wi-Fi in the street?  Not one iota! (5). Swift

36. Ways to raise money: for starters, hold a winter festival in next Christmas holidays (8). Hawfinch

37. Sounds like a description of the sea in stormy weather (4). Ruff

38. Cowardly implement (12). Yellowhammer

39. What stops you seeing the wood? Soft direction indicator (4, 7). Tree Sparrow

40. Fat French retail customer, a singer (11, 7). Grasshopper Warbler

41. Worried, he calls Peter (6, 6). Leach’s Petrel

42. Brew blood war?  Don’t start; just stir it up (4, 7). Wood Warbler

43. Could this be the contents of the hamper for a picnic in the meadow? (9). Fieldfare

44. “I said to him ‘Dickie bird, why do you sit, singing “.....  .....”?’ ” - (The Mikado) (6, 3). Willow Tit

45. Telephone, and maybe hear whose will get this one (4, 5). Ring Ouzel

46. After fog, the French take an unfinished article and go with haste (6, 6). Mistle Thrush

47. Take time out from a social medium, leaving it unfinished (5) Twite

48. Would, we hear, collect old carving knives originally (8). Woodcock

49. Thatcherite tax?  Not this colour! (7) Redpoll

50. Razorbills, guillemots, etc, come back from the northern ocean (6, 4). Arctic Skua