It's nearly two years since Mr C and I first visited Butterfly World, so having read Mediocre Mum's review of her recent visit I though it time we returned, with Little Miss C this time.
I should start with a bit of a warning for anyone reading that isn't aware yet; the big dome hasn't been built yet. I know they said it would be ready by 2011, but it isn't and instead you have a big hole filled with wildflowers. Not quite the same.
We did struggle a bit to work out exactly what they had done since our last visit. We think the playground area is new, but then again the last time we went we weren't in need of a playground. The designer gardens are still there – annoyingly apart from the one we both really liked last time that was full of mosaics, and there were a couple of other bits of garden that we didn't remember from last time.
With it being Butterfly World we were hoping to see some butterflies and this is where they started to struggle a little bit. Yes there were some butterflies flying around outside, but probably only as many as we would normally see in our back garden. There is one butterfly house that has some fantastic species that you can get very close to, but that is all. On the nature front you can go and study various insects in two other buildings there, and I can imagine both of these being fantastic when LMC is a bit older, but the butterflies were lacking a bit.
We had a lovely morning there and LMC enjoyed running around and having lots to see, but we left feeling a bit sad. Sad that the dome still hasn't been built and also concerned that it seemed a real possibility that it might not be. I understand that they need money to be able to build it, but for what is there at the moment the entry fee seems a bit high and that sentiment was echoed in most of the comments I read in the visitors' book by the exit. When we arrived the car park was pretty much empty and for a Saturday morning in the summer holidays that did set alarm bells ringing.
This can, and hopefully will, be a fantastic place to visit and I look forward to having somewhere like that so local to where I live. It has real potential, but there is also a real risk of it not fulfilling that potential. I really hope that it does succeed.
All photos were taken in "Enchanted – a garden of dreams", one of the designer gardens at Butterfly World. Definitely worth seeking out and, apart from the butterflies, my favourite part of our visit.
It has so much potential so it’s a real shame the biome has yet to appear. Do hope someone stumps yup the cash. I was hoping that the newly opened Ant World section would keep the interest levels up. You don’t mention it so assume it’s not impressive?!
The ants were good, and I think LMC will like them when shes older, but Ant World is just tiny when you compare it to what places like London Zoo have when it comes to ants. Not quite worthy of World again I fear.