Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm is celebrating the amazing migration story of the ‘Monarch Butterfly’ and its associations with the Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) during half-term from 25 October – 2 November. The iconic Monarch Butterfly is famous for its bright orange wings with black and white markings. Each year, millions migrate up to 3,000 miles from Canada and the USA to the forests of central Mexico. This incredible long-distance journey is one of nature’s greatest wonders, as the butterflies return to the same wintering sites generation after generation. They arrive like clockwork in Mexico around early November, which coincides with the Día de Muertos celebrations!

Many indigenous communities believe that these butterflies represent the souls of deceased loved ones returning to the earth to visit. The timing of their arrival, along with their delicate beauty, has made them a powerful symbol of the spiritual connection between the living and the dead in this tradition. Day of the Dead combines the ancient custom of celebrating ancestors with All Souls’ Day, a holiday that Spanish invaders brought to Mexico in the early 1500s. The holiday, which is celebrated in Mexico on November 1 & 2, is like a family reunion, except dead ancestors are the guests of honour.

Daily demonstrations of the Monarch Butterfly’s lifecycle and migration will take place with the team of friendly experts at 11:30am in the Discovery Zone. Visitors can see these beautiful orange and black Monarch’s flying around along with vibrantly coloured caterpillars. However, on Thursday 30 October, Mark from The Insect Farm will be bringing his beetles to the Butterfly Farm for a beetle lifecycle demonstration at 11:30am.

Jane Kendrick, Marketing Manager at Stratford Butterfly Farm said, “Get into the spirit of Halloween and help us celebrate the stunning Monarch Butterfly and its links to ‘Day of the Dead’! We’re also delighted to have a pair of venomous Sumatran Pit Vipers and Vampire Crabs on display as well. In the rainforest Flight Area families can follow a gruesome insect fact trail and find out just how weird and wonderful nature can be”!

Newest arrivals in Rainforest Realm are a pair of venomous Sumatran Pit Vipers. The Sumatran pit viper or Trimeresurus sumatranus, is a venomous snake native to the rainforests of Sumatra and surrounding Southeast Asian regions. They have a striking yellow

or green body; the ones at the Butterfly Farm are yellow, with black markings, and a broad, triangular head that helps distinguish it from non-venomous species. This viper is arboreal, spending much of its time in trees or shrubs, where it ambushes prey such as birds, frogs, and small mammals. Like other pit vipers, it has heat-sensing pits between its eyes and nostrils that help detect warm-blooded prey. Its venom is hemotoxic, capable of causing significant tissue damage, and although not typically fatal to humans, bites require urgent medical attention. The specialist handlers named them Bonnie and Carolina after the very hot chili peppers Scotch Bonnet and Carolina Reaper!

The Pit Vipers live alongside another new creature, Vampire Crabs or Geosesarma bicolor. They are small terrestrial crabs that can be found across Southeast Asia and can grow up to 2 inches in size. They have a purple carapace with yellow or cream patches. They live in burrows along muddy creeks and rivers. Vampire crabs are called vampire crabs due to their bright, yellow “glowing” eyes! While their name sounds intimidating, they are not dangerous and do not suck blood. The name has stuck due to their striking, somewhat spooky appearance!

To see hundreds of spectacular butterflies, insects, reptiles, and spiders visit the Butterfly Farm from 10am to 5:30pm, last entry 5pm. Open every day of the week except Christmas Day. For more information, please visit the website at www.butterflyfarm.co.uk or telephone on 01789 299288.