Changi Airport's T3 Butterfly Garden featured in Architect Concept magazine.

In 2008, we had consulted Changi Airport in creating a natural butterfly garden, and the project was recently highlighted in the landscaping section in the Architect Concept magazine. Thank you for featuring us!

《甘志明彩蝶苑》正式开幕! | Opening Ceremony of the Butterfly Garden at SRJK(C) Kim Sen, BM.

日前参与准备大山脚金星小学的《甘志明彩蝶苑》蝴蝶放飞造势活动，才惊觉现今的华小已经不再是念死书的纸上谈兵时代了。

在这所规模不小的校园内，有一位被人们称誉为 “蝴蝶妈妈”的老师，这位蝴蝶老师便是致力于研究与培育蝴蝶的沈幼清老师。由于沈老师对蝴蝶的热爱, 再加上郑丽爱校长的大力支持及前家教主席甘志明先生的慷慨赞助之下, 一股蝴蝶热潮就这样一呼百应下带动了全校上下总动员齐心合力地出钱出力创建这所校内蝴蝶园, 也为校园带来了另一番风景。

这所彩蝶苑不但可以美化校园，更让学生们亲眼目睹蝴蝶的真实生态及其生长过程，还可以参与蝴蝶培育及研究工作，这不但激发孩子们对自然科学的兴趣， 更身体力行地引领孩子接近大自然、认识大自然及关爱大自然的教育活动，实为其他学校的最佳典范！

槟城蝴蝶园有幸参与早期彩蝶苑的兴建过程，并从旁给于专业的意见，甚至延发至后期与金星小学进行彩蝶养殖交换计划。除了身体力行支援彩蝶苑的蝴蝶品种数量之外，从而也起到与本土学校相互交流的良好作用。

蝴蝶放飞造势活动 | Butterfly Release

快乐蝴蝶园地为学生及老师们带来了无尽欢乐。| The butterfly garden brings joy to the students and teachers.

漂亮的蝴蝶老师对丑陋的毛毛虫付出无限的爱心。| Butterfly teacher and her caterpillars.

桦斑蝶 | Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus)

金星小学彩蝶苑的其中两位成员 | Butterflies at SRJK(C) Kim Sen, Bukit Mertajam.

快乐毛毛虫 | Happy Caterpillar

Here’s what the scientists said:

The ears of insects exhibit a broad functional diversity with the ability to detect sounds across a wide range of frequencies and intensities. In tympanal ears, the membrane is a crucial step in the transduction of the acoustic stimulus into a neural signal. The tropical butterfly Morpho peleides has an oval-shaped membrane at the base of the forewing with an unusual dome in the middle of the structure. We are testing the hypothesis that this unconventional anatomical arrangement determines the mechanical tuning properties of this butterfly ear. Using microscanning laser Doppler vibrometry to measure the vibrational characteristics of this novel tympanum, the membrane was found to vibrate in two distinct modes, depending on the frequency range: at lower frequencies (1–5 kHz) the vibration was focused at the proximal half of the posterior side of the outer membrane, while at higher frequencies (5–20 kHz) the entire membrane contributed to the vibration. The maximum deflection points of the two vibrational modes correspond to the locations of the associated chordotonal organs, suggesting that M. peleides has the capacity for frequency partitioning because of the different vibrational properties of the two membrane components. Extracellular nerve recordings confirm that the innervating chordotonal organs respond to the same frequency range of 1–20 kHz, and are most sensitive between 2 and 4 kHz, although distinct frequency discrimination was not observed. We suggest that this remarkable variation in structure is associated with function that provides a selective advantage, particularly in predator detection.

You can read more about it here.

Those of you who might have visited us lately would have realised that our new Papilio Cafe is now open and you can have a meal or perhaps just coffee with butterflies fluttering beside you. Papilio Cafe being located inside of the Penang Butterfly Farm is a relaxing place for visitors or tourists to enjoy food yet a chance to observe nature. Local dishes such as Nasi Lemak or Chicken Rendang are served here as well.

Apart from enjoying our natural garden with butterflies, we offer great packages for kids & families as well such as Butterfly Birthday Bash (with a FREE mystery insect gift for the birthday child), Hand & Face Painting, Caterpillar Egg Hunt Game, The Wild Wild Guess Game (I like this game!), Insect Petting Session, Pebble Painting Workshop, Butterfly Release and many more! To make a booking, please call Ms Chong / Ms Kyra o4-885-1253.

Papilio Cafe is Now Open!

Can two different butterfly species mate with each other? What do you think?

These 2 species of butterfly have been found mating in our farm late evening yesterday. The male is a Cethosia cyane, while the female is the Parantica aspasia. Could this be just an accident in nature? Or can nature or its surrounding force the butterflies to change their behaviour? Possibly, studies have found that behavioural changes in plants and animals can occur as the environment changes. So how has the environment change? What else might be the cause for this?

4 hours later: I googled further into this and realised that speciation can occur in butterflies, and it has been simulated in laboratory before. Our senior lepidopterist also did confirm that this was possible previously through random pairings of  Heliconius butterflies, but limited to butterflies in the same genus.

Click here to read about the the speciation of a Heliconius hybrid. I can say that the butterflies in the genus of Heliconius are a truly advanced species. I might cover more about that at a later stage.

If you have anything to share about this, please feedback to us at our forum:
http://miraclesofnature.org/naturetalk/index.php/topic,370.0.html

The two-storey open-air enclosed garden is protected by a curved-shaped roof made out of high quality stainless steel mesh and unique glass windows, facing Changi Airport’s large airfield. It was designed in this manner to keep the butterflies in, maintaining exchange of wind and natural air which is vital to the survival of butterflies while maximising the butterflies’ flight activity.

Visitors walking inside this enclosure can view and enjoy the beautiful scenary of a waterfall which keeps the garden cool even at noon, and traversing a garden on timber walkway, the feeling being close to nature with exotic jungle plants and an unimaginable sight of colourful butterflies.

The media claimed that it is the most beautiful event that they had covered for Changi Airport. Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, Senior Minister of State for Finance and Transport who officially launched the butterfly garden, said:

“The Butterfly Garden is a unique attraction designed to complement Terminal 3′s nature theme and Singapore’s tropical garden image. Passengers will have a tranquil haven offering a respite from the stresses of traveling.”

The technical representative from Butterfly House Consultancy Sdn Bhd further advised that each plant has been carefully choosen for each butterfly species survival. In a garden like this, the butterflies are actually living in a “butterfly paradise” as they can easily find nectar and thrive in the abscence of predators, therefore they have longer life-span and naturally, very friendly to humans.

A stairway is to be found leading to the second level, where it brings visitors deeper into their imagination. As visitors watch closely on the leafs of plants on the balcony, creatures that are almost hidden emerge before one’s eyes causing a surprise. It seems the garden not only keeps butterflies alive, but alive with creatures of camouflage such as stick insects and leaf insects. The sight from the butterfly garden’s balcony is absolutely relaxing for its visitors; standing at the height of its waterfall, one can feel in awe with its beauty.

Related links:
Butterfly House Consultancy Website
Changi Airport Colours Website

The largest butterfly house or dome in the world, founded by Clive Farrell, will be built in a 26-acre site Chiswell Green, St. Albans, Hertfordshire in Great Britain. It will boast a collection of approximately 10,000 tropical butterflies consisting of 250 different species in a 300 foot wide complex.

Some of the more interesting planned sections of Butterfly World are caterpillar gardens, chrysalis pond, spiral proboscis walk and nectar gardens. The biome and walkthrough experience will include reproduced Mayan ruins and rainforest. This £25m world-class visitor attraction which opens in 2009 till 2011 in few phases, is expected to attract about 1 million visitors a year where 40% of them are children.

3D impression of Butterfly World UK from the sky. Image is courtesy of The Independent.

The aim of this butterfly dome is to raise immediate awareness of the current threats to the world’s butterfly and moth population and educate the public on conserving all flora and fauna in this world. This project will also largely help towards funding the organisations that care for and preserve the natural environment, which will benefit the public in return, as 10% of Butterfly World’s annual profit will be donated to the Butterfly World Trust to invest into research, conservation and community projects.

Clive also said “More than three quarters of British butterfly species have declined in the last 20 years, some of them very rapidly. That is worrying, not least because these declines indicate an underlying deterioration of the environment as a whole. For the sake of future generations we must take action now. Butterfly World is doing just that. It is putting the issues on the agenda and is seeking to help reverse this environmental catastrophe.”

From left to right, David Bellamy - botanist, environmental campaigner and broadcaster, Clive Farrell - world renown lepidopterist and Sir David Attenborough - broadcaster and naturalist.

Dear Clive, we thank you for continuous inspiration to us.

“Making butterfly spotting accessible gets people in touch with nature. Butterflies are essential indicators of the health of the environment, as well as being beautiful and quite wonderful to watch. It’s an honour to be recognised for doing something I love.” said Clive.

Butterflies are continuing to lose their habitat not only in the UK but also every part of the world. Here are some facts about butterflies in the UK alone:

• During the 20th century, 5 butterfly species (in Great Britain) and 60 moth species became extinct!
• Losses of butterfly species have outstripped those of birds and plants!
• The number of butterfly species on the priority endangered species list has more than doubled in twelve years, rising from 11 butterflies and 53 moths in 2005 to 24 butterflies and over 150 moths in 2007!
• The Large Blue or Maculinea arion – the UK’s largest and rarest blue butterfly became extinct in the British Isles in 1979!