Schools

We supply British butterfly stock to schools all over the country and have been doing so for over 30 years. This is very popular with school children as they get very excited watching the daily development of the caterpillars, which eventually transform into the adult butterfly.

We supply School packs which include the following:

1. Newly-hatched caterpillars of the Small Tortoiseshell or Peacock butterfly (about 15 caterpillars) which feed on Stinging Nettles;
   
   Please note that we do not use artificial food for ecological reasons.
2. a plastic rearing box to start them off in;
3. a brush to handle the caterpillars;
4. a care guide with rearing instructions; and
5. an activity sheet for the children to complete and for the school to assess the learning outcome of this experience. (Please download these sheets from the links at the bottom of this page.)

School packs cost only £25.00 + £2.50 Postage and Packing and will be sent out in April and May.

The best time to place your order is early in the year, between January and March, so that we can judge numbers and breed accordingly on our farm. Later orders will also be accepted - we tend to breed more than we need, as we like to do a lot of releasing ourselves into the wild to help boost numbers. You can place your order via email, phone or post. Please provide us with a payment reference number for the invoice, which we will send with the school pack.

The British butterflies that we supply will be either the Small Tortoiseshell or the Peacock butterfly (see pictures above). Please note that we only supply indigenous British butterflies, we do not supply migrant butterflies such as the Painted Lady or Red Admiral. We feel that there is no ecological need to release these species, as large numbers arrive on our shores every year. It is the Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock butterflies that need our help, as unfortunately their numbers are now considerably fewer than they used to be.

Small Tortoiseshells and Peacocks are among our most colourful and attractive butterflies; they are very easy to breed, and can be reared very quickly in one term. The children can watch the caterpillars grow, become chrysalises, and eventually emerge as adult butterflies.

Once they have hatched out, the butterflies can be released into the school grounds where they will soon find the nearest flowers to feed on (you could have a butterfly release day!)

Like most butterflies world-wide, British butterflies are in decline and are becoming scarce due to the destruction of habit, intensive farming and pesticides.

This is a very important educational project, which promotes environmental awareness. Not only does it help children understand how our environment works, but also they get to appreciate the beauty of these magnificent creatures and how important a part they play in the balance of nature. Children would also learn the importance of the different plants, flowers and trees in the survival of butterflies and other species.

This activity will help children to become aware of the need to protect wild, local areas. This knowledge will encourage them to protect all other wildlife, enabling future generations to enjoy our natural areas and the wildlife within them.

Please note that all of our livestock comes from captive-bred stock. No butterflies are taken from the wild.

 

Download the Activity Sheet by clicking HERE.

Download the Answer Sheet by clicking HERE.

Note: These documents are in PDF format. Most modern browsers will open PDF files automatically, but if yours does not, free PDF readers are available for download, including: Adobe Reader and Sumatra Reader .