
Strawberry Fields is the site of an old Salvation Army orphanage, near the childhood home of John Lennon and remembered in the famous song. He used to climb over the walls and play with the other kids. For many years the old building was a gothic ruin, and Beatles tourists came to stare and write on the ornate gates, which was as near as they could reach. Then the Salvation Army demolished the old orphanage, built a new exhibition space, café and gift shop, landscaped the grounds and opened up to tourists in September 2019. The revenue they generate funds a program to help young people with leaning difficulties get into work.

Their woodland garden and lawns had the usual Wood pigeons, Magpies and Crows, while we spotted Blue Tits and Great Tits in the trees and John had a brief glimpse of a Treecreeper. Despite the small parties of tourists, the garden had an air of serenity and mindfulness. Bits of the old masonry have been saved and used like seats along the path edges and most bear fragments of either Beatles lyrics or Bible verses.

After lunch we crossed Menlove Avenue to Calderstones Park. Although we aren’t good at evergreens we stopped to look at this Scots Pine. These are clearly flowers, but are they male or female? I looked them up at home later. These are all male, found on lower and weaker branches. The female flowers, which become cones, are on higher branches and we didn’t see any of those at all.

On the lake we were charmed by Mallard ducklings, Canada goslings and a young Coot being fed by a parent.


Around the lake we looked at some large clumps of Three-cornered Leek. They are very pretty, but are they spreading? Yes, it forms large mats and is now considered to be invasive in the UK. It is illegal to plant or dispose of it in the wild.

North of the text garden a labelled young tree was a Yellow Buckeye Aesculus flava, native to North America.

On the western edge of the text garden the Handkerchief tree Davidia involucrata was just starting to put out its large white dangling bracts.

It had turned out to be a very hot afternoon, so we made our way out of the park via the very colourful Rhododendron and Azalea walk. The yellow Azalea, Rhododendron luteum, has a very strong sweet scent but is poisonous in all parts, including the nectar and the “mad honey” made from it.

Public transport details: Bus 76 from Queen Square at 10.02, arriving Menlove Avenue / Beaconsfield Road at 10.30. Returned from Mather Avenue / Storrsdale Road at 2.20 on bus 86, arriving Liverpool city centre at 2.50.
No Sunday walk next week. On 25th May we plan to go to West Kirby, meeting at Central Station at 10 am sharp.
Anyone is welcome to come out with the Sunday Group. It is not strictly part of the MNA, although it has several overlapping members. We go out by public transport to local parks, woods and nature reserves all over Merseyside, and occasionally further afield. We are mostly pensioners, so the day is free on our bus passes, and we enjoy fresh air, a laugh and a joke, a slow amble in pleasant surroundings and sometimes we even look at the wildlife!
If you want to join a Sunday Group walk, pack lunch, a flask, waterproofs, binoculars if you have them, a waterproof pad to sit on if we have to have lunch on the grass or a wet bench (A garden kneeler? A newspaper in a plastic bag?), and wear stout shoes or walking boots. We are usually back in Liverpool City Centre by 3pm at the latest.
If you are interested in the wildlife of the north-west of England and would like to join the walks and coach trips run by the Merseyside Naturalists’ Association, see the main MNA website www.mnapage.info for details of our programme and how to join us.