It’s all about the Egg at Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm during the Easter holidays from 13 – 28 April.
Visitors can discover the freshly laid eggs from tropical Butterflies and Moths and see the Caterpillars that have hatched out of them and the pupae they turn into. Within the Emerging Case visitors may even see a butterfly hatch from its pupa!
Visitors can also discover the fascinating connection that Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm has to the rainforests of Belize and the ancient Maya civilization. Their artefacts have been replicated and are on display throughout the Farm. The Maya were skilled at growing crops such as maize, chili pepper, beans and squash. Most importantly they discovered the cacao pod giving us the delights of delicious chocolate!
Children and adults can also take part in the popular ‘Meet the Mini-Beast’ handling sessions which take place daily at 11.30am and 2.30pm throughout the holidays with the Education Team. Visitors can hold creatures such as a giant African millipede, African land snail and a variety of stick insects.
On display are a couple of new residents including a Dragon Headed Katydid, also known as Eumegalodon blanchardi. Theseferocious looking creatures originate from the forests of Borneo in South East Asia and have huge chewing mouthparts for eating tough vegetation. The males and females are easy to tell apart as the female has a long sword like ovipositor which is used to lay eggs in the stems of banana plants. The other new resident is an Orchid Mantis, also known as Hymenapus coronatus, which originates from Malaysia and Indonesia. These beautiful pink and white mantis have lobes on their legs that look like flower petals. Although this species does not live on orchids, it does look remarkably like a beautiful orchid flower.
Jane Kendrick, Marketing Manager at Stratford Butterfly Farm said “Here at the Butterfly Farm you can see the entire life-cycle of a butterfly – the egg, the caterpillar, the chrysalis and finally the adult, which is absolutely fascinating to watch. Come and discover the Maya and their links to chocolate which of course is so popular at Easter!With two new inhabitants to admire and our popular Meet the Mini-beast handling sessions, we have plenty for everyone to enjoy!”
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.
