Wirral Country Park

Saturday 17^th July 2021

Leader: Robert Freeth (Liverpool Botanical Society)

This was a joint meeting with the Wild Flower Society. For most Bradford Botany Group members it was a long way to travel for a day meeting, but it was a good opportunity to hit the coast on a gloriously sunny day. Well over 200 taxa were found when the Liverpool Botanical Society visited in 2019 and we were able to add even more taxa to the list by the end of today’s meeting. Our group of 17 (including 10 BBG members) were expertly guided around the site by Robert Freeth.

We began by walking along a section of former railway line, now the Wirral Way, which is well used by walkers and cyclists. At the former railway station of Thurstaston, Maidenhair Fern was growing out of a wall and there was plenty of Wall Barley along the edge of the old platform. Himalayan Honeysuckle was found in an area of shrubs which Robert thought was probably bird-sown as it never used to be there. After walking under a bridge, we came across colourful grassy banks with flowers including Common Centaury, Yellow-wort and Trailing St John's-wort. It was good to see several Gatekeeper butterflies here, although none would settle for a photograph and a Blackcap was singing in the scrub above us. Unusually for such a hot day, we saw a young toad crawling up the bank, possibly having been disturbed from its hiding place.

Near the back of the Whistle Stop Café, a brick planter had become colonised by some interesting annual weeds including Field Penny-cress, Cut-leaved Dead-nettle and Spiny Cocklebur. These plants may have arrived as seeds in the top soil. Passing an area quite busy with visitors and a mobile unit advertising free covid tests, we came to a pond with marginal plants including much Marsh Horsetail. One unusual plant of Marsh Horsetail had many cones on side branches as well as at the shoot apex (named by a member of the group as Equisetum palustre var. polystachyum).

Near our lunch spot at the side of the cafe, was an area of bare looking ground that upon closer inspection revealed a number of new plants for the day. These included Black-bindweed, Marsh Cudweed, Field Pansy, Lesser Swine-cress and Long-headed Poppy. After lunch, we walked around another pond where we saw Cyperus Sedge and Water-plantain in flower. Many small fish were swimming in the shallows, the larger ones with obvious red fins and tails (possibly Rudd). Shortly, we came to another meadow with a good amount of Dyer's Greenweed in flower and not far away, Pepper-saxifrage also in flower.

We joined the coastal path, where there were good views over the Dee Estuary to North Wales, including Talacre, which BBG had visited last month as part of a short holiday. We then headed down to the beach on a long narrow tunnel-like path through the scrub and down steps, passing family groups dressed for the beach. Soft Shield-fern was seen on our way down, and, at the bottom of the steps was Six-rowed Barley. We enjoyed exploring the dune grassland which ran in a strip about 15m wide between the sandy beach and the scrubby slope. It was good to see even the common coastal plants, as this isn’t a habitat I get an opportunity to explore very often. Amongst the Marram and Lyme-grass, plants included Common Restharrow, Sea Radish, Sea-holly, Tree-mallow, Kidney Vetch, Intermediate Evening-primrose, Portland Spurge and Sand Sedge. I was particularly pleased to see Canadian Fleabane and a few fruiting heads of Wild Onion (aka Crow Garlic).

I was also pleased to find Prickly Saltwort, Spear-leaved Orache and Grass-leaved Orache all growing in close proximity along the strandline. Our last find of the day was a garden escape, a red flowered form of Monbretia. Back at the top of the steps, we gathered to thank Robert for leading us and Sheila for her work in organising the trip.

Text by Susan

Photographs by Tom