Butterfly World Now Open

30 April 2010, 06:00

Butterfly World in St Albans is celebrating opening their doors for another year.

It's the second phase of their four phase development and this year visitors can see a new butterfly breeding house, an insect study centre, gardens and a chrysalis shaped lake which is home to hundreds of plants and mini-beasts.

Butterfly World, dubbed Hertfordshire's Eden Project, offers 600 exquisite fluttering tropical butterflies, 12 inspiring individual gardens designed by some of Europe's best-known designers, three gardens designed by celebrated garden designer Ivan Hicks, and 20 acres of wildflower meadows brimming with colour, butterflies, bees and moths.

Butterfly World, backed by Professor David Bellamy, Sir David Attenborough and actress Emilia Fox, is designed in the shape of a butterfly's head and set within 27 acres of land just off the M25.

It is an on-going project dedicated to the conservation of butterflies, providing scientific research and a unique educational but fun experience that the whole family can enjoy.

Angela Harnkess is the Managing Director at Butterfly World and she has been telling Heart about their plans to develop even further this year:

"Next year we are building the actually biodome itself, where we will be housing 10,000 butterflies and there'll be a living rainforest."

She's been telling us why it's important we take care of butterflies:

"They are our environmental indicators. They are our first sign that if they die something is wrong with our ecosystem and I hate to say that Hertfordshire is one of the hardest hit in the UK for the loss of butterflies and moths."

The centre is open from 29th April - 26th September 2010
Open hours are from 10am-5pm, seven days a week.
Entry costs £6 per adult, £5 per concession, £4 for under-16s and is free to anyone under-three years old and Blue Peter badge holders.