Rimrose Valley Country Park, 28th July 2024

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.

Common or Ribbed Melilot
Goat’s Beard seed head

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.

Peacock butterfly
Gatekeeper

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.

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