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.