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The Butterfly - Looking Forward To Summer

As we start to move into the summer months, the butterfly becomes a common visitor to our parks and gardens. Depending on the species of butterfly, certain plants and shrubs become a magnet for these beautiful insects to land and drink nectar from.

The life-cycle of a butterfly is truly remarkable. Starting as a tiny egg, this hatches into a long creepy-crawly caterpillar with sometimes bizarre hairy and brightly coloured skin. The next stage transforms it again into becoming a crusty dull chrysalis, almost suspended in animation. Finally after hatching, a beautiful delicate adult butterfly emerges bringing joy to many people who love to see them fluttering in the warm sun.

It is common belief that butterflies don't live very long. This of course depends on the species of butterfly as some can last a number of weeks, whilst others can last up to one year.

There are 58 species of butterfly in the UK, although a number are now threatened with extinction due to habitat loss. A general trend of decline in the butterfly population of about 70% in some species, indicates that our countryside and environment are not in good health. There are a number of wildlife parks where our native species and those from other parts of the world can be studied at close quarters. There are thought to be around 20,000 species of butterfly worldwide.

If you do want to get up close to butterflies, Animal Days Out would recommend the Tropical Butterfly House, Wildlife and Falconry Centre for starters. Home to many types of tropical butterflies, you can wander right amongst them and let them flutter by at close quarters within their specially designed habitat.



Butterfly Links
 Butterfly Conservation - Dedicated to Saving Butterflies and Moths
 British Butterflies - Check Out Steven Cheshire's Excellent Website
 The UK British Monitoring Scheme  - How Can You Get Involved?
 Understand the Best Planting Schemes to Attract Butterflies into Your Garden
 Visit The Tropical Butterfly House



Butterfly Gifts
 Buy a Butterfly House and Feeder
 Buy Other Butterfly Gifts

   Butterfly Fact File

Added by Animal Days Out

Made A Difference

Here is a short but sweet blog. The next time you think about squashing that spider, think of this.

A man was walking down the beach at sunset. As he walked along, he saw another man in the distance. He noticed this man kept leaning down, picking up something and throwing it out into the water, again and again. As he approached even closer, he noticed that the man was picking up starfish that had been washed up on the beach. He was throwing them back into the water, one by one. 

Puzzled, he approached the man and said, "Good evening. I was wondering what you are doing." The man replied, "I'm throwing these starfish back into the ocean. You see, it's low tide and all these starfish have been washed up onto the shore. If I don't throw them back into the ocean, they'll die up here from being out of the water for too long." 

Still puzzled the man said, "But, there must be thousands of starfish on this beach. You can't possibly get to all of them. And don't you realize this is probably happening on hundreds of beaches all up and down this coast. Can't you see that you can't possibly make a difference?" 

The man bent down and picked up yet another starfish, and threw it back into the ocean. With a smile he replied, "Made a difference to that one!!!"

Sent in by Jean Vass for Animal Days Out