Stratford Butterfly Farm has plenty going on during the summer holidays from 23 July – 4 September for all the family to enjoy. Each Tuesday, Richard Read, the Butterfly Farm’s resident expert horticulturist will be in the Discovery Zone talking about how to care for houseplants and the benefits of having them in the home, as well as how to create ‘nature gardens’ to attract wildlife into people’s own green areas.
Pupae demonstrations will show visitors how the Farm populates its butterflies from all over the tropics, learning about the conservation and community projects the pupae have been farmed from, how the pupae are transported to the Butterfly Farm and how the Farm prepares the pupae on wooden rods before being placed in the Emerging Case.
New to Minibeast Metropolis are Medicinal Leeches Hirudu medicinalis, a type of parasitic worm. They are hematophagous, which means they attach onto a host animal and feed on their blood. They secrete an anticoagulant which prevents the blood from clotting whilst they feed. Medicinal Leeches grow up to 20cm and are the only known species in the UK to feed on human blood, although they prefer cattle, birds, and amphibians.
Visitors can also take part in Meet the Mini-Beast handling sessions with the Education Team and hold creatures such as an African Land snail, Madagascan Hissing Cockroach, Hermit Crab, and a variety of Stick Insects. There will also be the Butterfly Life Cycle, Beetle, Pupae and Snake demonstrations which will be held in the Discovery Zone throughout the summer. The Beetle demonstrations will show visitors the complete life cycle of a beetle, whilst the snake demonstrations will allow visitors to have a close look at the Rhinoceros rat snake or Mexican black kingsnake.
Jane Kendrick, Marketing Manager at Stratford Butterfly Farm said,
“We have so much on offer over the holidays with lots of talks and demonstrations plus the opportunity to see our new Medical Leeches! Most people cringe at the mere mention of the word leech, but these unusual creatures have been used medically for thousands of years and were once a common sight across Europe. However, they are now quite rare due to overuse in medicine although conservation efforts are underway to restore their wild population”.
The Butterfly Farm Gift Shop has a wide range of nature inspired fairtrade gifts to suit all pockets as well as soft drinks, snacks, confectionary, and ice-creams.
To guarantee entry over the summer holidays, tickets should be purchased in advance from the online booking system. The Butterfly Farm recommends reading the ‘Information’ section of the website to help plan a visit.
To see hundreds of spectacular butterflies, insects, reptiles, and spiders visit the Butterfly Farm from 10am to 6:00pm, last entry 5:30pm. Open every day of the week except Christmas Day. For more information including admission prices and group rates, please visit the website at www.butterflyfarm.co.uk or telephone on 01789 299288.