Release causes a massive flutter
One thousand butterflies take flight
Around 1000 eye-catching peacock butterflies were released into the wild last week thanks to the hard work of those at the Riverbank Centre.
Crowds gathered in the sensory garden on Wednesday afternoon to bid the colourful creatures farewell as they embark on a new life.
The peacock butterfly gets its name from the distinctive patterns they have on their wings
And those at the centre, led by caretaker Iain Gibson, have spent the last two months on the project raising the creatures, and they were delighted to see their hard work come to fruition.
Their commitment has even been recognised by the Worldwide Butterfly Society and Buglife for their work to support the population of butterflies in the area.
Iain said that although the project required a lot of time and attention – it was extremely enjoyable to be involved.
He said: “We started out with 20 caterpillars and from that we got four clusters of 300 eggs. That’s how you know roughly how many butterflies you’re going to get.
“The whole process, from caterpillars through transformation chrysalis to butterfly takes around six to eight weeks – so it’s incredibly quick. Everyone at the centre enjoyed watching the process and we were really pleased with the turnout we had for the release.”
Iain explained that the stunning end product, and knowing that they are helping support the population of peacock butterflies in the area, has made all the effort and work worthwhile.
He added: “There was a lot of work involved. We had to gather a total of 17 bags of nettles for the caterpillars to eat, so that resulted in a some stingy hands.
“We had some people out helping though and we found that the path in Riverside which runs along the river and comes out near The Peak was a really good place to find them.
“We also had to clean out their boxes regularly while we also ended up building an extension to their cage, but it was all worthwhile to see them out in the wild where hopefully some will reproduce in the Riverside community.
“The peacock is becoming quite scarce in certain areas within the UK so it’s nice to know that we have done a little bit to help them.”
Those at the centre have undertaken similar projects before. They raised around 300 butterflies two years ago but had nothing to show last year due to poor weather.
Iain added: “We would love to do it again next year – the only problem is that you need to go even bigger, you can’t go smaller.”
It’s nice to know that we have done a little bit to help