Welcome to Alexandra Park  Alexandra Park was originally
designed by Alexander McKenzie, in 1863, as a park and pleasure ground. The 196 acres of park now consists of a delightful mixture of informal woodland, open grassland, formal gardens and attractions such as the boating lake, cafes and the pitch-and-putt course.
Double Green Again Big congratulations go out to Park Manager, Mark Evison and special thanks also to Michael Conway and the John O'Conner Park Contractor team. This is a badge of honour showing that the Park has met and continues to meet the high standards required. What is the Friends part in this? By opening the Park Information Centre, putting on multitudinous events in the Park and helping with conservation work in the Butterfly Meadow, we demonstrate that this is a Park engaged with the Local Community. Oak Processionary Moth in The Park Please take some time to read this government health information leaflet: The Forestry Commission are surveying the site and should remove the nests in the next few weeks. Please report any sightings of caterpillars or nests. Pictures show a nest, the trail left by the caterpillars and the oak leaves being eaten. A plan showing the known locations in the Park can be found here:”   New events Brass is Back  Bring a chair, sit on the grass, or just promenade with your ice cream! Some pictures from last year.... *Weather permitting, of course. Conservation Work Party Tuesday, 19th September, 10am to 12:30pm  Fun in the sun... Do join us if you are free. No special skills required; we will be cutting back and uprooting the remaining brambles in the meadow. Enjoy exercise, plenty of fresh air and good conversation. Bring gardening gloves and secateurs if you have them, but if not we have spares to loan. We usually work from 10 am to 12.30 pm, but come for as long as you want. Meet at the Butterfly Meadow, if you know it, or at the finger post where the path from North View Road meets the (newly surfaced) Lower Road. Earlier Friends' work days. Past events Details of many of our previous events can be found here These are the most recent events: Friends Conservation Work Party - August  Lots of mini mattock work..... During the time there, we saw quite a lot of Meadow Brown butterflies together with the odd Common Blue and Gatekeeper. A highlight for me was this Violet Ground Beetle which we disturbed before replacing it. Members August Nature Walk  At the entrance we saw one of Oak trees infested with Oak Processionary Moth. The nest and stripped leaves (with midribs left) were pointed out. The offending creatures will be removed by August 15th. We saw a few butterflies including a Gatekeeper that was temporarily netted. The highlight of this part of the walk was definitely the Wasp Spider sitting in her web. (pictured left) These spiders have spread into the country from the continent. Then in a Grey Willow we found a large group of Buff tip moth caterpillars much more brightly coloured than their adult form.  On Oak Trees we saw Knopper, Marble, Artichoke, Spangle, Silk Button and Ram's Horn galls showing the diversity of wildlife that depends on our native oaks. It was fruiting season for many trees and shrubs and we looked the "berries" of Dogwood, Rose, Blackthorn (sloe), Hawthorn and Guelder Rose. The second picture (left) shows us searching in the long grass.... A nice stroll up towards to the Bedford Road entrance giving a nice indication of the flora and fauna that the Park has to offer. Family Bug Hunt  Luckily summery, sunny weather was the order of the day. Youngsters and Oldsters were quick to grab nets and trays and set out to see what beasties could be found. Mirid bugs and Harvestmen (spider relatives) were brought in a good quantity. On the ladybird front several Harlequin were found together with four or five 16 spots - this small species pictured. Ashy Mining Bee was admired as was a Grasshopper and several Earwigs. Butterflies eluded the nets, but Gatekeeper, Common Blue and some unidentified Whites were seen. Probably one of the more impressive finds was a large Ichneumon Wasp (link shows it being released as were all our finds). Summer Festival 2017  The Friends stall in The Grove had two main attractions; for the young children there was a chance to create a "Butterfly Crown" this proved very popular and extra chairs had to be brought to satisfy demand. Many great designs were seen going off on top of happy heads... For the adults, there was something a bit less hands-on. The photo competition this year consisted of a Map of the Park with 12  To try the competition for yourself: follow this link. and click here for more pictures from the day. Palace Band in The Grove  See Bands for reports of other musical entertainment in The Grove. July Members Walk Rain did not discourage all our Members from taking a stroll around the Park that isn't anymore... In the late 19th Century a large section of the Park to the North of the Palace was sold off for development and this walk had the idea of tracing what was there in the past and what is there now. A pleasant wander (ignoring the rain) was had by all. On-going events
Free Health Walks Health
walks, starting in Priory Road and walking into Alexandra Park, take place every Monday at 10:15 am. Everyone welcome, whatever level of fitness. Lasts 45 minutes. More details.  Recently the Park Run has topped 180 runners!
Park Run is organised by volunteers and is free to anyone wishing to take part, but prior registration is needed. See http://www.parkrun.org.uk/allypally.
For an interview with the founder and director of Park Run in Alexandra Park, Catherine Edeam, see Interviews. The Conservation Volunteers August 2017  Our job was to clear some of the saplings of mostly Robinia and Elder underneath the large Black Locust tree below the Rose Garden. They were cut up and then placed around a nearby dead Oak Tree to discourage people from approaching to closely. This should achieve its purpose when combined with the bramble growing around the old tree's base. Next date: 10th September The Conservation Volunteers work in the grounds of Alexandra Park usually on the second Sunday of every month. They carry out various conservation tasks such as pond clearance, building foot bridges, planting trees, and opening glades to increase bio-diversity. More information on previous TCV work and how to volunteer. Want to hear about future Park and Alexandra Palace Way closures? If you are fascinated by the Trees in the Park you may wish to try out our new and growing "Tree App". Follow this link for details.
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