Celebrate National Insect Week at the Stratford Butterfly Farm

Celebrate ‘National Insect Week’ from 23 – 29 June with a visit to the Stratford Butterfly Farm, home to the largest live insect display in the world. Children that visit that week will each receive a free insect poster. The Stratford Butterfly Farm offers visitors the unique pleasure of watching hundreds of the world's most spectacular butterflies flying around them in its tropical butterfly garden.

Visitors can also see the butterfly's amazing lifecycle in the Caterpillar Room, observe fascinating and strange bugs in Insect City, marvel at the size of giant millipedes, snails and crabs in the Mini-Beast section and get close to deadly spiders and scorpions in perfect safety in Arachnoland.

National Insect Week is organised by The Royal Entomological Society and aims to give people of all ages the opportunity to learn more about these fascinating creatures on our planet. National Insect Week will be launched by wildlife enthusiast and television presenter Chris Packham, and Joan Ruddock MP on Monday 23 June at London's Chelsea Physic Garden.

Throughout the year, the Stratford Butterfly Farm encourages children of all ages to learn more about our insects, their lifecycles and ways in which we can help their habitats. Over 10,000 children on school trips benefit from visiting the Stratford Butterfly Farm each year.

As well as seeing thousands of spectacular coloured butterflies, visitors can see a deadly Black Widow spider which was discovered in a car imported from Arizona. The spider, named “Dorothy”, is the only spider of this species at the Butterfly Farm. Also inhabiting at the Butterfly Farm is a ‘Three Horned Rhinoceros Beetle’ which are one of the largest species of Beetles in the world.

The Rhinoceros Beetle is aptly named because it has horns on its head. Rhinoceros Beetles are the strongest animals on the planet, proportionally, as they can lift up to 850 times their own weight.

Another inhabitant is a one-eyed ‘Giant African Snail’ known as Lionel. The snail was discovered on a train and mistaken for a piece of bread! The snails are usually around 7cm in size, but can reach up to 20cm. The largest Giant African Snail ever found was 37.5cm long in shell length and weighed nearly 2 kilograms!

To see these fascinating insects and hundreds of spectacular butterflies visit the Stratford Butterfly Farm from 10:00am till 6:00pm. For more information please visit the official website at Butterflyfarm.co.uk.