Butterfly World is now permanently closed [Nov 15]
Butterfly World re-opens for its seventh season on 23 March 2015.
Butterfly World, St Albans springs into life for its seventh season with an all new Music Meadow. New features such as the British Butterfly Garden, Bee Zone and a whole range of new activities will be coming throughout the year, making this season the most exciting yet.
Discover the new Music Meadow in a secret corner of the antennae walks. Children will love to bash out a tune on one of seven giant instruments made from recycled and household materials. Try a bamboo xylophone, wind chimes made from metal table legs, huge drainage tube air pipes or a corrugated tube scraper.
The much loved tropical butterfly house is home to clouds of over 600 beautiful tropical butterflies. There are 27 acres of specially created gardens and spectacular wildflower meadows. Younger visitors will enjoy Bug World an interactive exhibition in the Insect Study Centre. Here kids can get closer to nature than ever before with hissing cockroaches, stick insects, fat caterpillars, ant colonies and African snails while observing Leaf Cutter Ants in their natural habitat cutting leaves and taking them back to their nests via rope walkways.
Children can also run wild and free in the Natural Play Area complete with willow tunnels, slides and swings and meet the Very Hungry Caterpillar™ in his edible garden while others can relax by the Chrysalis lake, browse the specialist plant shop for butterfly and bee attracting plants or refuel in the cafe.
For garden enthusiasts: a Through the Flowerpot Garden allows visitors to see the world from an insect's eye view; the Spangle Gall Garden engages children in ten different mini-installations and the Theatre of Insects Garden shows how even the strangest of man-made objects can create an ecologically sensitive habitat for insects. Visitors can also enjoy a spiral Proboscis walk and Antennae paths lined with south-facing chalk banks and wildflowers to attract native butterflies and insects.
Butterfly World is served by local buses, St Albans train station and is situated just off the M1, junction 6a and M25, junction 21a. View our photo gallery from Phase 1 (2009).
Admission (2015): Adults, Concessions (over 60s or students with ID) and Children (£7.50 / £6.50 / £5.50 / Family - 2 adults & 2 children £22.50 from 1 May). Under-threes are free.
Seasonal memberships available - please visit their website for details.