Woolton, 29th August 2010

It was a wild and blowy morning as we took the 78 from Liverpool ONE bus station to Woolton. The sun came out while we were in the field on the way to Woolton Woods, and we saw Woodpigeons, Black-headed gulls, Jackdaws and Starlings on the grass. The wildflower verge was past its best, but we looked at the huge acorns on the pedunculate oak, many with knopper galls.  The rowan berries are all red but the elderberries are only just starting to turn. A squall of heavy rain sent us into the woods for shelter, but it was short-lived, and the sun came out again in the walled garden. One Speckled Wood was flying about and we spotted a Holly Blue and a Green shield bug.
After lunch we walked to Camp Hill and enjoyed the splendid view over the old Speke airport and across to Stanlow. In the sunken Dutch Garden of Meditation there were some trees of the maple family, just starting to turn: they will be magnificent in a week or two. On the way to Allerton Cemetery we saw a Red Admiral on white Buddleia. In the field there was one Common Gull amongst the Black-headeds, and Swallows and House Martins still flying. We crossed Hillfoot Road to Allerton Hall, went through the Eric Hardy Nature Reserve, crossed Woolton Road and entered the garden of Allerton Towers. The avenue of Irish Yews outside the orangery are now mostly reduced to stumps, having been burnt by vandals, but there were a pair of Speckled Woods dancing together in a shaft of sunlight. We were back in Woolton Village at 3pm for buses home.

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