BUTTERLIES have their spooky side as Stratford Butterfly Farm is out to prove.
Visitors will be able to find out about the migration story of the Monarch butterfly and its associations with the Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) during half-term from October 25 to November 2.
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 and November 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 daily with a team of experts at 11.30am in the Discovery Zone.
