Schoolchildren release 100 butterflies to celebrate Sir David Attenborough's 100th birthday

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A pupil from Thomas Jolyffe Primary and one of the birthday butterflies. Photo credit the school.

Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm marked the 100th birthday of Sir David Attenborough on Friday 8 May with a memorable celebration bringing together local schoolchildren, visitors and staff to honour one of the world’s most treasured naturalists and broadcasters.

Pupils from Thomas Jolyffe Primary School and Stratford-upon-Avon Primary School joined the special event, releasing 100 beautiful Blue Morpho butterflies into the Butterfly Farm’s rainforest Flight Area. The butterflies, known for their brilliant iridescent blue wings, arrived as pupae from the Butterfly Farm’s sister facility, Fallen Stones in Belize, a conservation and breeding project dedicated to sustainable butterfly farming and rainforest conservation.

Richard Lamb, Clive Farrell, Manuela Perteghella MP and Mayor Dani Hunter. Photo courtesy of the Butterfly Farm.

The event was also attended by Manuela Perteghella MP, the Mayor Dani Hunter, BID Manager Aaron Corsi, and Siân Smith from Shakespeare’s England. The event held particular significance for the Butterfly Farm’s founder, Clive Farrell, whose early career was shaped by working alongside Sir David Attenborough on a documentary filmed at his very first butterfly house in 1983. Following the documentary’s broadcast, public interest soared, with queues forming down the road, helping launch what would become one of the UK’s leading butterfly attractions.

Pupils get a close look at the Blue Morphos before setting them free into the tropical greenhouse. Photo courtesy of Thomas Jolyffe School.

Clive Farrell, owner of Stratford Butterfly Farm, said, “Sir David Attenborough has inspired generations of people to appreciate and protect the natural world. To celebrate his 100th birthday in this way, surrounded by children and butterflies, felt incredibly fitting. His influence on my own journey and on wildlife conservation worldwide has been extraordinary. We would like to thank Thomas Jolyffe Primary School, Stratford-upon-Avon Primary School and everyone who joined the celebration and helped make the occasion so special.”

Manuela Perteghella MP. Photo by Dani Hunter..

The celebration aimed not only to honour Sir David’s remarkable legacy, but also to inspire younger generations to connect with nature and understand the importance of conservation. As the Blue Morphos took flight around the tropical rainforest setting, pupils experienced a close-up encounter with one of the world’s most iconic butterfly species.

The team at Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm described Sir David as a continual source of inspiration whose work has helped people across the world develop a deeper understanding of wildlife, biodiversity and environmental protection.

The birthday cake. Photo courtesy of the Butterfly Farm.

To learn more about the Blue Morpho butterfly, Morpho peleides, the Butterfly Farm will be hosting Butterfly Lifecycle demonstrations over the May half term, from 23 - 31 May, daily at 11:00am in the Discovery Zone. Visitors can discover more about Fallen Stones Butterfly Farm and the fascinating journey of these special butterflies from Belize. The expert team will demonstrate from egg through to adult, the remarkable stages of the butterfly life cycle as well as giving visitors the opportunity to handle a variety of unusual stick insects.

To see hundreds of spectacular butterflies, insects, reptiles, and spiders visit the Butterfly Farm from 10am to 6:00pm, last entry 5.30pm. Open every day except Christmas Day. For more information visit: www.butterflyfarm.co.uk or telephone on 01789 299288.