THE biggest butterfly farm in the UK is to re-open next week with the release of thousands of spectacular newcomers from all round the world.

Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm, home to butterflies, insects, reptiles and spiders, will welcome visitors back from Monday May 17 in line with Stage 3 of the Government’s roadmap out of the coronavirus pandemic.

And it will be bigger and brighter than ever before. During lockdown, the attraction has been busy making improvements to enhance the guest experience.

Clive Farrell, owner of the Farm, has been breeding tropical butterflies, including the colourful zebra longwing (Heliconius charithonia) featured at the top of this blog post.

The team has also been busy replanting the outdoor and tropical gardens as well as giving ‘Minibeast Metropolis’ a new look featuring a 1,000-litre tropical Aquarium.

The walkways within the Flight Area have been edged with Cotswold stone and hand-crafted wooden pergolas have replaced the metal archways. 

The Butterfly Farm also successfully applied for Warwick County Council’s ‘Adapt & Diversify Grant’ and have used the funding to install a sound system featuring ‘sounds of the rainforest’ from local specialists Simpson’s Sound & Vision Ltd.

Jane Kendrick, Marketing Manager at Stratford Butterfly Farm says: “We are delighted to re-open our doors after being closed for such a long period. We would like to thank our visitors throughout the past year for their patience and understanding.

“We look forward to revealing all the changes we have made including the release of thousands of stunning tropical butterflies, our new-look aquarium, improvements to our gardens and new sound system which provides a more immersive visitor experience.”

The Butterfly Farm will open from 10am to 6pm. Open every day of the week except Christmas Day. Tickets must be booked online and in advance, and are available from today.

Stratford Butterfly Farm is a Covid-19 secure environment and has achieved Visit Britain’s ‘Good to Go’ industry standard mark of approval to provide extra visitor confidence.

Visitors should read the ‘Information’ section of the Farm website to help plan their visit. All adults will have to check in on arrival to gain entrance by either scanning the NHS QR Code or by providing the queue marshal with contact details.

Face coverings are mandatory inside for all non-exempt persons aged 11 and over. Daily capacity limits are in place to ensure social distancing. For more information see www.butterflyfarm.co.uk.