BUTTERFLY World is fluttering towards the end of its season with a number of special half term activities and a family Halloween-themed finale.

The Chiswell Green attraction, which is hoping to have notched up 80,000 visitors by the end of the season next Sunday, October 31, has a range of activities laid on next week including making vegetable hats, pumpkin lanterns and bird feeders, apple pressing, story-telling sessions and autumn activity sessions.

The Halloween Family Fun Day will admit children wearing butterfly wings for free and include a butterfly fancy dress pageant, treasure hunt, art and drama sessions, face painting and Caterpillar Music.

Although Butterfly World itself closes on October 31, the Nectar House Caf� will remain open and among special events to be held there are a firework and music extravaganza on November 7, a Gifts for Christmas craft fair from November 4 to 7 and an Alice in Wonderland experience from November 13 to December 24.

Butterfly World is due to be completed next year with the opening of a massive biome filled with 10,000 tropical butterflies. Among the patrons is Professor David Bellamy who was a special guest at the attraction earlier this month to talk about the life cycle of the butterfly and how people can reverse the decline in the species by planting butterfly-attracting plants, not using herbicides and pesticides and looking after the environment.

During Professor Bellamy’s visit, an Atlas Moth the size of a dinner plate opened in the butterfly breeding house.

For further details about half-term and future activities go to www.butterflyworldproject.com