Stratford's special Christmas butterfly returns that's a 'must see'

Stratford Butterfly Farm is inviting visitors to once again see their stunning Christmas butterfly, which will be flying around the farm on December 21. The primarily black and yellow Butterfly, also known as Papilio demodocus, is native to Africa, and has an average wingspan of 9 to 11cm.

The caterpillars feed on citrus trees and hence are also known as the ‘Citrus Swallowtail’. The Christmas butterfly is part of the Swallowtail family and sourced directly from butterfly farmers of the Kipepeo Project, a community enterprise based in and around the Arabuko-Sokoke forest in Kenya.

Kipepeo is Swahili for butterfly and the project provides a sustainable income for the people of this area, demonstrating that conservation can be achieved whilst still earning a living. Butterfly lifecycle & mini-beast demonstrations will take place daily at 11am in the Discovery Zone from December 21 to 23 and from December 27 to January 6.

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The team of experts will demonstrate from egg through to adult and the stages of the butterfly life cycle. Visitors will also get the opportunity to handle a variety of stick insects.

Jane Kendrick, Marketing Manager at Stratford Butterfly Farm said “the beautiful Christmas butterfly along with thousands of tropical butterflies is a must see in our flight area. With insects, lifecycle demonstrations, plus browsing in our nature inspired Gift Shop, the Butterfly Farm has all the ingredients for a truly tropical Christmas this year!”

The Butterfly Farm hosts a special temperature controlled area set at around 25C. Kendrick said it was a place for visitors to enjoy a day out while escaping the winter cold.