EastEnders star and Strictly Come Dancing legend Jake Wood was the guest of honour at Butterfly World’s newest opening.

Jake, who recently announced a short-term departure from the soap, got his hands dirty by planting a kidney vetch, the favourite food of the small blue caterpillar, one of the county’s most endangered native butterfly species.

The tourist attraction’s new British Butterfly Garden shows visitors how to create beautiful gardens that are also suitable for butterflies and gives gardening tips and advice.

Jake said: “As a local and frequent visitor to Butterfly World, I am keen to make sure we can protect our local wildlife and get budding gardeners young and old out there making their gardens and community spaces friendlier to butterflies!”

The garden, with the support of Butterfly Conservation’s Herts and Middlesex branch, features formal planting schemes alongside short and long informal wildflower landscaped areas.

The main plants include field scabious, hemp agrimony and knapweed which will help attract local butterfly species and other shrubs, flowers and trees which provide nectar all year round for butterflies and bees.