The Naturalists' Notebook

Is early October too soon for autumn colour nowadays? Calderstones, with its wealth of trees, should be a good place to answer the question. Near the southern entrance some of the rare Maples were starting to turn but around the “Veteran Sweet Chestnut” (marked on Google maps, no less!) all the small trees and bushes were still green. This huge tree is probably older than the park and possibly older than the gentleman’s estate which preceded it.

The first bright colour was on this Cherry tree in the text garden.

On the way to the Rose Garden we noted a Contorted Hazel, bearing just one hazel nut. How have the squirrels missed it? There is a group of young trees between the path and the wildflower meadow, some still in their planting cages. Nearest to the path is a healthy-looking Foxglove tree, then a sparse Judas tree (foliage hidden on the right) then two with pinnate leaves, one of which is the rare Pecan nut tree. Of the two, I think the Pecan is the one with yellowing leaves and vertically cracked bark. The other one, still green, not in a cage and with flaky rectangular-plated bark, is still a mystery.  Right at the back is a strikingly yellow young tree, which I tentatively identify as a Golden Ash.  (For detailed tree information I recommend the website “Trees and Shrubs Online” )

We had gone to the Rose Garden to look at the Golden Rain tree overlooking the pony paddock. When the MNA met here for the bat walk on 19th September the tree had brown leaves all over, far too early for that. Today it was all bare, no leaves and no pink seed lanterns. We are seriously concerned for its health. Later in the day we looked at the other Golden Rain tree near the Reader Bookshop, hemmed in behind the Mansion House, and that was still in leaf, some yellowing, but it looked fine.

Back near the Rose Garden we heard some calling Ring-necked Parakeets. Other birds today included Blackbirds, Magpies, Wood Pigeons, a Blue Tit and a possible Goldcrest, but there wasn’t much birdlife about.  The trees continued to delight, though. Look at this amazing Pink-leaved Rowan.  No idea which one it is. The Japanese Rowan is said to have parts of the outer leaves turning purple in early October, but they have orange-red berries. The Hupeh Rowan is said to have a pink variety, but the detailed description doesn’t match. No idea which one this is, but it’s lovely.

We lunched in the Japanese garden, where lots of maples were turning colour.

Then we went rooting about east of the Mansion House, where we had a good look at the  Douglas Fir, smelled its foliage (strong, sweet, fruity-resinous) and admired its intricate cones.

There is a rare Sweet Chestnut tree with white-edged leaves (variety ‘Albomarginata’), and we were charmed to see that the spiky seed-cases are also white. It’s a lovely thing, but some of the twigs are reverting to all green and there is a rotting hole at the base of trunk. It may be at risk of falling.

Nearby, the old trunk of the Shagbark Hickory is being swallowed by weeds and bramble, with fungi starting to break it down.

Around the corner is the Allerton Oak. It is thought to be the oldest tree in the park, possibly 550 years old, and the spreading branches are now carefully propped up. A sign next to it suggests it germinated in the reign of Henry VIII. It was Britain’s Tree of the Year in 2019.

Outside the gallery we were happy to see a sign asking people NOT to leave old pumpkins in the park. They aren’t “a gift to nature”, they can make hedgehogs and dogs sick. After having seen more autumn colour than we expected, our last treat was a row of lovely trees along the central reservation of Mather Avenue, just opposite our bus stop. The council tree departments don’t just plant any old trees on a site, they think it out beforehand. Here there are some lovely colour contrasts. The little pale green one on the left with just four thin branches and a tall leading shoot must be a Ginkgo, the small bright red one is a Sweet Gum Liquidambar styraciflua, then a Copper Beech, and I was too far away to identify the yellow and green ones. Great bit of municipal planting!

Public transport details: Bus 86A from Elliot Street stop GD at 10.15. arriving Mather Avenue / Ballantrae Road at 10.45. Returned on bus 86 from Mather Avenue / Storrsdale Road at 2.25, arriving city centre at 3.05.
Next week we plan to go to West Kirby, meeting Central Station at 10 am

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.

Otterspool Park is the old carriage drive to the grand riverside house of a snuff miller. After the house was demolished in 1931 the drive became a route down to the “day out” destination of Otterspool on the banks of the Mersey. John remembers coming here when he was a child in the 1950s and 1960s, when the path was lined with neat lawns and clipped shrubberies. It hasn’t been kept in that style for many years, and now the borders are thickly filled with the remains of the elegant trees and shrubs which once lined the drive, all tangled up with Bramble and Ivy. It was a damp and rather gloomy day, with the Gothic effect enhanced by the cawing of Crows. Much of the fallen wood has been left, and one pile was covered with an explosion of fungi.

The Rhododendrons probably still bloom, and four or five lovely Cut-leaved (or Fern leaved) Beeches still sprinkle golden leaves on the paths in autumn. Less elegant are two scruffy-looking cedars, probably not Cedars of Lebanon (but they ought to be), which have sacrificed their elegant shapes while stretching for the light.

This tall tree is probably an Italian Cypress, which would once have been a striking punctuation mark along the neat edge.

There are two lovely ornamental trees on the south side of the bridge, either side of the drive. They are known for their spectacular autumn colour. One is a rarity, Red-veined Enkianthus, which turns crimson all over, and the other is Persian Ironwood, which becomes scarlet and bronze. Sadly, we were too early to see the intended effect.

By the old café is a large Holm Oak, and we looked at its tiny undeveloped acorns. This is all we ever see, implying that these are the finished article, the mature fruits. But books and the internet have pictures of long, pointed brown acorns, just like other oaks, so why don’t they form on Merseyside?

Near the Promenade and skate park on the banks of the Mersey, some of the lawns have been planted with what is called the Otterspool Orchard, an experimental mix of young trees, part of a research project on climate change. We looked at them on our previous visit on 23rd April 2023. The so-called “Odunaiya planting mix” includes some rarities like Weeping White Mulberry, Black Mulberry, Pecan nut and some kind of rare Thorn tree, with fruits like Hawthorn, but larger, and plain-edged leaves.

As for birds, there were the aforementioned Crows, Wood Pigeons deep in the trees, Robins and Blackbirds on the woody edges.  Nearer to the river were gulls, Magpies and a Goldfinch. Nothing exciting on the river, and the tide was high. Up on the bank we spotted both Japanese Larch and  European Larch. The cones of European Larch have flattish scales while those of the Japanese Larch have rather pretty curled-out scales.  

The sun was shining weakly on the way back, and we noticed some flowers still out – Herb Robert, Gallant Soldier and some late-flowering Bramble. My strawberries think it is spring, too, putting out a few tentative flowers.

Public transport details: Bus 82 from Elliot Street at 10.07, arriving Aigburth Road / Lisburn Road 10.30. Returned on 82 bus at 1.50 from Aigburth Road / Jericho Lane, arriving city centre at 2.10.
Next week we plan to go to Calderstones Park, meeting Elliot Street at 10 am for the 86 bus and entering the park at the south-west corner, near the Rhododendron walk.

How can I have walked with the Sunday group for over 20 year and never been to Wallasey Central Park?  We think our former leader Bob Hughes once took the group to a small, derelict area nearby, said that was it, and spoiled the idea for ever. Central Park is lovely, with a lake, a walled garden, café and toilets. It is the former estate of Sir John Tobin, who commanded ships in the slave trade and was later Lord Mayor of Liverpool. The Hall and 57 acres of land were bought by Wallasey Local Board after the death of Tobin’s nephew and opened to the public in 1891.

After a week of sunshine, it’s the autumn equinox and summer seems to be over. Fungi are popping up everywhere, including this huge group of little balls at the bottom of the old park wall, just by the bus stop where we arrived. Some are even emerging from the wall. Common Puffballs?

In the corner of the park by the disused old Egremont St John church there were several rows of tiny new trees, perhaps destined for other parts of the park when they grow larger, or perhaps intended to form a small forest walk right there. They were native species such as Hazel, Oak, Rowan, Hawthorn, Horse Chestnut, Scots Pine and there was even a baby Sycamore with prominent Tar Spot fungus.

We saw lots of Grey Squirrels, several Wood Pigeon and Crows, a Collared Dove and a Jay, which was scolding loudly from deep inside a tree canopy then flew off in a flash. There is a pair of small duck ponds on the southern edge, containing only multiple Mallards, one Moorhen and plenty of feral Pigeons on the banks.

The walled garden in the centre of the park was lovely, with a café run by the Friends, picnic tables, neat flower beds, a small orchard and a very clean and functioning loo block. 10 out of 10 for that.

It started to rain as we ate our lunch, but we carried on, determined to see all of the park. The main lake was full of Mallards, a handful of Canada Geese, just a couple of Coots, a few juvenile Herring Gulls and one Cormorant waiting out the rain.

Just as I was thinking how much bread it would take to support so many ducks I spotted this Canada Goose with the wing deformity called Angel Wing. It is generally thought to be caused by eating too much bread, and little else, and although the connection isn’t definitely proven, many park lakes display warning signs. No such signs here.

The path around the lake was full of fishermen, many sheltering under big umbrellas. One had his wife and two small glum children tucked in with him. Not much fun for them. We spotted one small fish being caught and returned. A Mirror Carp, he said.

There is so much fishing that the council have erected special litter bins with a place for recycling unwanted hooks and lines. We have never seen that before. The attached sign instructs “Do not steal fish” and “No fishing for food”.

Then there was a sudden commotion. An unfamiliar-looking white parrot-like bird was flying about, squawking and screaming in alarm, pursued aerobatically by one of the young Herring Gulls. The frightened prey escaped into one of the large Plane trees surrounding the lake and I was able to take a photo. It looks like a Cockatiel, probably an escaped caged bird.

Public transport details: Bus 433 from Sir Thomas Street at 10.20, arriving Liscard Road opposite Chatsworth Avenue at 10.41. Returned from Liscard Road / Martin’s Lane on the 433 bus at 1.51, arriving Liverpool 2.15.
Next week we plan to go to Otterspool Park, meeting Elliot Street at 10 am for the 82 bus, or at the gates at the junction of Jericho Lane and Aigburth Road.

It was Heritage Open Day, and we wanted to go to some exciting events in Chester, but Merseyrail chose to do some engineering works, and we couldn’t face a rail-replacement bus to Chester from Hooton. That left us re-evaluating what was available, and we settled on St Nicholas’ Anglican church in Blundellsands. Since it didn’t open until noon, we used the morning to go to one of Crosby’s smaller parks, Alexandra Park.  It was opened in 1902 in honour of king Edward VII’s Queen, and most of the original tree plantings must now be over 120 years old with some coming to the ends of their lives.

A project is ongoing to replace the old trees with interesting younger specimens, and the park is on its way to becoming a small arboretum. One of the first trees we admired was this one with lovely shiny mahogany-coloured bark. We thought it was a Tibetan Cherry Prunus serrula, but when I looked at the list of plantings quoted in my blog post of 18 June 2017, I see it must be a Manchurian Cherry Prunus maackii ‘Amber Beauty’.

It started to rain, and we sheltered for a while beneath a huge old Beech, then headed for cover, passing several more interesting trees on the way.  Japanese Larch, Pin Oak, Paperbark Maple, and a young tree that looked like an Oak at first glance, but had fruits that clearly weren’t acorns. It was a Cut-leaved Alder, and as a clincher, we found an Alder Beetle on it.

Some of the older trees were interesting, too. A lanky False Acacia / Robinia had a dramatic lean to one side, but was still (just) supporting itself.

Higher up in the canopy there was a lovely Variegated Sycamore.

As we walked along Mersey Road towards the church, we noticed several young trees on the pavement on the south side. Two of them were upward-pointing trees (fastigiate), and looked like some kind of hybrid Elms, with a lot of Wych Elm in their ancestry. They were probably one of the new cultivars, bred to be resistant to Dutch Elm Disease.  We arrived at the church just as it opened for visitors. It was consecrated in 1874 and is coming up to its 150th anniversary in a month or two, so major celebrations are planned.

Public transport details: Bus 53 from Queen Square at 10.02, arriving Coronation Road opp Carnegie Avenue.  Returned on bus 53 from Bridge Road / Harlech Road at 1.45.
No walk next week, but the week after (22 Sept) we plan to go to Wallasey Central Park, meeting Sir Thomas Street at 10am.

Arrowe Park was once a country estate, taken over by Birkenhead Corporation in 1926 and the land now has a major hospital, a golf course, and Arrowe County Park. It’s been a stormy week, with many small branches blown off trees, but the major casualty from Storm Lilian on Thursday night was this big branch of a mature Horse Chestnut, half the crown, which had snapped off.

Near the main gate, in an area where shrubs had been cleared, we came across this clump of Wild Arum stalks with ripening berries. They are usually found as singletons, and we have never seen such a lot altogether.

Still not much in the way of small birds, but we spotted the usual Wood Pigeons, Carrion Crows, Magpies and Black-headed Gulls. A Kestrel hovered in the distance, a Jay crossed our path and later there was a Buzzard over an area of trees.

By the tennis courts there is a pair of trees that have puzzled us for some time. I’m pretty sure they are some kind of Elm, as we saw their elm-like flowers coming out in late February 2019, but they haven’t succumbed to Dutch Elm Disease, as most Elms have. Are they a related group like Zelkova? No idea. (Added later: the clever folks on the Fb Tree ID group reckon it’s a Siberian Elm Ulmus pumilis, resistant to Dutch Elm Disease and quite a rarity in the north of England).

One unusual tree we were able to identify was a Katsura, because we could smell burnt sugar / candy floss as we approached it. It’s a lovely tree.

On the big field west of the hospital two dogs were racing around, chasing a mixed flock of Swallows and House Martins. The dogs were having a fine old time, exerting themselves to their utmost to try and catch one. The Swallows were flying low, all around the dogs, apparently teasing them and playing “Can’t catch me!” In  reality the birds were after the insects that the dogs were kicking up from the grass. After the dogs retired, happy and exhausted, the Swallows flew close around us as we walked backwards, looking for the insects we were disturbing. A magic moment.

It started to drizzle after lunch, but we had time to admire the young Indian Bean tree, Catalpa bignonioides, which has grown well in the last few years, but still has no beans, so probably isn’t mature enough to flower.

As we headed back to the main gate we noticed that they have converted some of the bowling greens and clay tennis courts into a wildflower meadow dotted with specimen trees. The meadow is mostly Ragwort at this time of year, and the young trees float over a sea of gold. There were no nursery labels, but we thought we could identify Norway Maple, Sweet Gum, Indian Bean and Chinese Dogwood.

The northernmost end was fenced off and appeared to contain a small native woodland, just tiny whips so far, and planted far too close together. What’s that all about?

Public transport details: Bus 472 from Sir Thomas Street at 10.15, arriving Woodchurch Avenue / Arrowe Park Road at 10.42. Returned from Woodchurch Road / Church Lane on bus 472 at 1.48, arriving Liverpool 2.10.

Newsham Park is the oldest of a group of three of Liverpool’s major public parks, intended by the early Victorian city fathers as a ribbon of open space, then on the outskirts of the city, to enhance the health of the inhabitants. It was designed by Edward Kemp, as his first solo project after his work with Joseph Paxton on Birkenhead Park (1847), and was opened in 1868, soon followed by Stanley Park (1870) and Sefton Park (1872).

Our first stop was the main lake, where we noted the usual water birds, Canada Geese, moulting Mallards, Black-headed Gulls, juvenile Herring Gulls, Moorhens, and flocks of Feral Pigeons on the edges. Where were the Coots? We spotted them when we turned a corner, looking like they were having a convention in a backwater, although the proper collective noun is a “commotion” of Coots.

From other angles we spotted a pair of Mute Swans and then three Great Crested Grebes, a parent and two well-grown chicks. We haven’t seen them here before but they seem to have had a successful breeding year. John commented that a pair he knew from Stanley Park had had two years of nest failures and have now disappeared. Are these the same birds who have relocated?

Other birds around the park were Carrion Crows, Magpies and Wood Pigeons, with Swallows and  House Martins over the boating lake. Very few small woodland birds were about, except this young Dunnock on the bridge.

In the clumps of vegetation on the margins of the boating lake was a colony of Damselflies, and I think this splendid fellow is a Common Blue.

The trees were of great interest today. The edges of the big fields have had young native trees planted around them.

We noted Hazel, Rowan, Field Maple, Pedunculate Oak, Lime, Elder, Birch, Spindle and Willow. One of the very young oaks, little more than a bush, was already bearing acorns.

The distinctive four-lobed fruits of the Spindle tree had not yet ripened to their bright crimson.

One Rowan had pink and white berries, possibly the unusual Vilmorin’s Rowan.

A larger young tree in a planting cage seemed to be some sort of Lime with “meaty-looking” crumpled leaves. Aha! we thought, this will be a Large-leaved Lime. I knew the ID had something to do with tufts of hair in the axils of the veins on the undersides of the leaves, so I took a picture. When I looked it up at home I found that it wasn’t a Large-leaved Lime after all, it was either a Common or a Small-leaved Lime depending on whether these are “small white or buff tufts” (Common) or “large buff or orange tufts”(Small-leaved). That sort of subjective description only works when you already know!

Elsewhere there were early signs of autumn. Conkers are staring to form on the Horse Chestnuts, and we are noticing far less leaf miner damage this year. There were also ripe Hawthorn and Elder  Berries.

We lunched on the far side of the boating lake, by the café and conveniences. Then we went to look at an uncommon native tree, a Wild Service tree Sorbus torminalis, which is on the southern side of Gardner’s Drive, opposite the skate park and near the concrete table tennis table. It has an interesting and distinctive leaf like a hand with too many fingers. The berries were orange but will go brown as they ripen. It’s the only Wild Service Tree we know of on Merseyside, and it looks a bit unhealthy, with a pronounced lean out to the light.

The southern section of the park, leading to Prescot Road, runs alongside a railway line. All along that eastern edge is a planted native wood, a bit dark and gloomy, called the Birthday Woodland. It was planted in April 2008 to celebrate their 140th anniversary. We kept to the path alongside it, as the dark woods seem to be littered with beer cans and signs of wild camping. We did note, however, that a huge patch of Aspen is suckering all along the east side of the path.

The west side of that path has lots of new specimen trees in cages, some still with their nursery labels attached, all in Latin. Of course we have to check them all! Among the gems were some varieties unknown to us. Acer campestre ‘Elegant’ is the native Field Maple but a variety which reaches partly upwards (semi-fastigiate) and is described as having “compact and elegant ascending structure”. A tree labelled as Prunus domestica ‘Hauszwetche’, which is common purple plum, had a lovely caterpillar on one of its leaves. It was hard to photograph clearly because the netting stopped me getting close enough, but Googling suggests it was the caterpillar of the Grey Dagger Moth Acronicta psi.

A tree labelled Gleditsia tricanthos Draves ‘Street keeper’ was a Honey Locust, but this variety, developed in the USA, is said to be good for city streets as it is tough and only grows half as wide as it is tall.  The star of the show turned out to be a sapling labelled Acer buergerianum. It’s the Trident Maple, originating in China and Taiwan. Not seen one of those before. I thought it was showing autumn colour, but that is the new growth, which emerges bronze. My 1976 Mitchell’s field guide says it’s a rare tree, only found in large collections in southern England and calls it a “distinct, elegant and desirable small tree”.

Public transport details: Bus 13 from Queen Square at 10.05, arriving West Derby Road / Windsor Road at 10.23. Returned from Prescot Road opp Prescot Drive on the 10B bus at 1.45, arriving Queen Square at 2.05.

It was a bright and sunny day, and got quite hot in the afternoon. The seaside crowds were out, walking around the Marine Lake path, hiring paddle boards and queueing at ice cream stalls. We avoided them by walking along the Wirral Way a bit. Apart from a calling Great Tit and a Blackbird on the path, there were no birds to see. Both verges were thick with Stinging Nettles, Bramble and Black Briony, and the winged seeds of Norway Maple were scattered across the path. One Speckled Wood butterfly sped past. A cluster of berries high up in the verge foxed us, but it was a stalk of Lords and Ladies Arum maculatum, which someone had picked, then discarded.

We continued through the top end of Ashton Park, around St Bridget’s churchyard, then back to the park for lunch by the bowling green. There are two Cedar trees there, the most noticeable one being a wide-spreading Blue Atlas Cedar between the bowling green and the lake. But the less obvious one in the border on the other side of the green interests me. Cedars are hard to distinguish, but this one might be a now-rare Cedar of Lebanon. That mid-height branch is growing fairly level, neither drooping at the tips (Deodar Cedar) or reaching upwards (Atlas Cedar).

Another way to tell is by the needles, which are in short bunches, all about the same length, and by the cones, which are said to have low points (rather than the Atlas cedars, whose cones are dimpled at the top). Unfortunately, the cones don’t fall to the ground for inspection, like pine cones do, but stay on the tree, slowly disintegrating and releasing their seeds. I can convince myself that some of these cones do look a bit pointed.

There were no interesting birds on the lake, just Mallards, Coots, Moorhens, and lots of juvenile Herring Gulls. There were also Wood Pigeons, Feral Pigeons and Magpies at various places around the paths and lawns.

Sandlea Park, opposite Morrison’s supermarket, was the best wildlife spot of the day. Their Buddleia bushes had two Peacock butterflies and one Red Admiral, quite a bonanza by current standards.

We went to visit the little tree with pink blossom which we had spotted when we were last here on 10th March. It had been identified to me then as an Almond tree, quite a rarity. Today it was bearing several clusters of almond fruit, presumably with hard nuts forming inside. It’s the only Almond tree I know of on Merseyside.

Public transport details:  Train from Central at 10.05, arriving West Kirby at 10.35. Returned on the train at 2.31, arriving Central 3.05.

The annual Knowsley Flower Show is held in Court Hey Park, which was once a landed estate developed since 1836 by Robertson Gladstone, local businessman, property developer, politician, and brother of Prime Minister-to-be William Ewart Gladstone. Robertson Gladstone was also a Director of the world’s first regular passenger railway, the Liverpool to Manchester Railway which opened in 1830. It is believed that the stones lining the driveway in the park were the original stone sleepers over which the famous steam engine “Rocket” once travelled. That’s one for the railway enthusiasts!

The park is edged on the eastern side by Court Hey Brook, which used to flood occasionally, so in 2021 they created a wetland by digging out pools and rivulets beside the brook. Now there is much-improved water quality downstream and a huge benefit for wildlife. They have a sign up listing Frogs, Herons, Dragonflies and Damselflies, water invertebrates and sightings of the protected Great Crested Newt. There is no way we could explore it, it is guarded by an impenetrable stand of Purple Loosestrife, Sorrel, Reeds and Wild Carrot.

Although there were occasional spots of rain we wandered through the stalls and displays of local charities and businesses. There were also commercial offerings from local plant nurseries. We were happy to see S & R Birds, a rescue sanctuary for birds of prey, who bring their raptors to events like this to solicit donations. We have seen them before, and know their Barn Owl and Eagle Owl well, but today they had a new bird, a Gyrfalcon, a magnificent male. I have never seen one of those before.

We saw two local mayors walking about, the Mayor of Knowsley, who had come to open the show, and the Mayor of Whiston browsing around the floral marquee, looking at the winning vegetables and craft items. Here are some which caught my eye.

Public transport details: Bus 61 rom Queen Square at 10.25, arriving Roby Road opp. Grangewood at 10.48. Returned on the 61 from Roby Road / Court Hey Road at 1.50, arriving city centre at 2.20.

On a very hot and sunny day we visited Rimrose Valley Country Park, where the main attraction was to be “Liverpool’s Most Wuthering Heights Day … Ever!”  More on that below. But first we had wander around the wildflower meadows and through the great expanse of rough grass interspersed with some wildflowers. We spotted and named Goat’s Beard, Red Clover, Common or Black Knapweed and Common or Ribbed Melilot.

There was also a lot of Wild Carrot.  Most flower heads have a central floret that sticks up above the others and is said in the books to be red or pink. I haven’t noticed any pink ones, all the ones I have looked at around here have a dark purple central flower, almost black.

There weren’t many birds. I think it was too hot for them in the open areas. There were just Wood Pigeon, Magpies, and some overflying gulls. But it was quite a good day for butterflies. Not many of them, but we saw three different species, an improvement on recent Sundays. There were several distant Large Whites, two or three fast-moving Gatekeepers (I had a pair of Gatekeepers in my garden in the week) and just one Peacock on the picnic bench. It is only showing its dark underwings here, but we got a glimpse of the eye-spots as it flew.

We returned to the running track area for the big event, which was about 200 people in red dresses doing Kate Bush’s dance routine to “Wuthering Heights”. There were some men in red dresses in there too, and there was even a dog in a red coat. This event is competitive, like a Santa Dash, each area around the country trying to attract a greater number of participants than the previous one.  It was arranged here in aid of the Save Rimrose Valley group, which campaigns to prevent a road to the docks being built through the park. The massed Kates were all filmed, from the ground and by drone, so videos should emerge soon!

Public transport details: Bus 47 from Queen Square at 10.15, arriving 10.45 at Crosby Road North / Sycamore Road. The others returned to Liverpool on bus 47 from Crosby Road North / Winstanley Road at 1.25, due Liverpool about 2pm.

Today we went to the Wildlife Recording day run by the Friends of Victoria Park and Merseyside Biobank. They armed us with clipboards, recording sheets and pens, and offered a variety of ID guides. We thought we were OK with birds, trees, bumble bees and butterflies, but borrowed a copy of  Blamey and Fitter’s wildflower book. And then we just wandered about writing down everything we recognised.

Most things we were able to name but some of our insects were simply written as “spider” or “wasp”. Many insects were on Ragwort, clearly an important plant for them, including the first black and yellow striped Cinnabar moth caterpillar I have seen for a number of years.

We lunched in an ornamental part of the park with plenty of “garden” flowers, which we didn’t list.  The Friends have put out hand-made signs warning of dire consequences for anyone caught vandalising their precious plantings.

After lunch we had an opportunity to visit the Waterloo Community Forest Garden on the other side of Somerville Road, squeezed into a small strip of land next to the railway line. They cater for school groups wanting nature encounters and were rated “outstanding” in the 2022 Britain in Bloom competition.

It’s mostly wild, but they have planted some small apple trees, a patio Mulberry and a rare native fruit tree, a Medlar, with developing fruit, about an inch (2.5 cm) wide.

Some of the Biobank staff were in there rootling around and had spotted some rarities, a Puss Moth caterpillar and a member of the orchid family that they thought was a Broad-leaved Helleborine, growing through Ivy beside a narrow shady path.

At the end of the day we handed in our lists. We had recorded 83 species as follows: 1 mammal (a Grey Squirrel); 9 birds (Robin, Blackbird, Wren, Collared Dove, Wood Pigeon, Carrion Crow and Magpie, a Herring Gull and Swifts overhead); 10 insects, including Large and Small White butterflies and a Meadow Brown; 27 species of tree and shrub and 36 kinds of wild flowers. After I had dropped off the others I re-crossed the park on the way home and found a second, smaller mulberry tree, groaning with fruit, with a sign inviting all comers to help themselves. I didn’t need asking twice!

Public transport details: Bus 47 from Queen Square at 10.15. arriving 10.43 at Crosby Road North / Sycamore Road. The others returned to Liverpool on the train from Waterloo Station at about 2.15.