Stratford-upon-Avon is a market district across the West Midlands of England and has a variety of sight-seeing areas, including their very own butterfly exhibit.

 

Stratford’s butterfly farm launched their exhibition in 1985 by the owner, Clive Farrell, who’s main goal was to open up the fascination of butterflies to the public. Since then, it has welcomed over 4 million visitors, often opening during the holiday times. It is designed to replicate the environment of a real rainforest, having a pathway which goes through a wide range of trees and flowers, and even loops around towards a bridge over a fish filled river. The temperature is sweltering, evidently to match a rainforest’s climate for the butterflies to survive.

There are hundreds of butterfly species in this tropical environment, and they are not hesitant to fly directly at you, which came as a bit of a shock to some visitors. The area consists of a rocky pathway, leading to a cascading waterfall into a river.  Around the exhibit, there are areas with decaying fruit, hence people can see multiple butterflies grouped in one area. It is not just butterflies in this area though, there are also a great deal of insects in the butterfly area, mainly ‘leaf cutter ants’, which are around the border of the environment, and people are able to see them physically slice small sections of leaves, and walk together in a formal fashion across branches and back to the colony home.

Further into the farm, a recently developed ‘Rainforest Realm’ featuring more insects and reptiles was on show for the public to see. This consisted of stick insects and mantises, tarantulas, and scorpions all encased behind glass. Some insects were rather reluctant to display themselves fully, often lurking under their designated shelter. However, towards the reptile section, there were also species such as poisn an Emerald tree boa, a Oustalets Chameleon from Madagascar, and the most startling: a spectacled Caiman, which did not move very much, but was encased in a huge, swamp like habitat, with a large river, and rocky shelter.

If you have the chance to visit Stratford upon Avon, do try and visit this popular exhibition, being the ‘UK’s Largest Tropical Butterfly Paradise’.