Port Sunlight River Park, a former landfill site, is now a 28-hectare park which hosts a variety of habitats including semi-mature and young woodland, hedgerows, scrub, bramble/tall ruderal, mature reedbed, species-rich grassland, bare and rocky ground, estuary mud/sand and amenity grassland.

Recorders:  Chloe Aldridge, Peter Brash, Leanna Dixon, Keith Fowler, Andy Jennings-Giles, Clive Washington

Notable records:

• Water Beetle – Cercyon nigriceps (Hydrophilidae) – The last time this was recorded in VC58 was in 1937, and never on the Wirral. Notable B
• Weevil – Oxystoma craccae (Apionidae) – Only 2 previous records from VC58
• Weevil – Aspidapion aeneum (Apionidae) – The only other VC58 record for this being from Dibbinsdale, next door
• Weevil – Otiorhynchus crataegi (Curculionidae) – New for VC58. From the ivy growing on the containers in the car park
• Weevil – Anthonomus brunnipennis (Curculionidae) – New to VC58. The smaller and less common relative of the ubiquitous Anthonomus rubi.
• Southern Green Shieldbug – Nezara viridula (Pentatomidae) – Very few records for VC58-60 of this northward expanding species. However, perhaps well established at the River Park, as these records come 4 years after the first.
• Barkfly – Trichopsocus brincki (Trichopsocidae) – Scarce in England and Wales according to the Barkfly Recording Scheme.

Southern Green Shieldbug nymph (Nezara viridula) found at the park

Download Port Sunlight River Park Species List & Raw Data [Excel spreadsheet] last updated 22/06/2021

A key for the ‘Conservation status’ column is available in the above download.