Magic of Life Butterfly House

03/06/2026

https://youtu.be/PlciX6hPr1U

Here's the latest video on seeking out some of the most spectacular butterflies in the wild - this time in Sulawesi, Indonesia. It's a travelogue identifying all the other butterflies and natural history found on the journey.

This video captures the results of four days of waiting, trying to film flight shots of one of the fastest of butterflies. The excellent stills are from local photographers.

This is about the search in Southern Sulawesi looking for Papilio b...

23/05/2026

Literally hundreds of pupae emerging for half term. As well as buying them in, we have bred over a 1000 pupae ourselves this month. In addition, we finally changed the skins on the polytunnel and the butterflies are more active than ever. If you haven't been for a year or two, this will be like a new place. Best days to come are sunny mornings..Neil

13/05/2026

Small Pearl Bordered Fritillaries fresh out in Cwm Silio, Ceredigion yesterday. The evening sun was enriching their honey colouration. I was actually trying to find the even rarer Pearl Bordered Fritillary which, despite many visits, I have never seen in this locality. I'm starting to wonder if it is still even there. Neil

06/04/2026

Compared to a seed, the symbol of a bulb is that all the hard work has been done, and that something of beauty in your life is imminently coming in to bloom. For the last two winters, Freya has been planting hundreds of bulbs. These have transformed our Spring Garden into a sea of red, white and yellow. Freya has been working with us for five years where she has specialised on looking after the rare plants at The Magic of Life. She is now studying Botany at University and wants to work with plants afterwards. A success for Freya and for us.

09/03/2026

Here is the second of three videos - 'Searching for the Aesacus Birdwing' in The Spice Islands in Indonesia.

This is the second of three trips into the remote rainforests of the island of Obi in The Spice Islands, searching for one of the rarest and least-known butt...

22/02/2026

OTTERS - FEBRUARY
YNYS HIR BIRD RESERVE
MACHYNLLETH

14/02/2026

We've been open all winter - lots of butterflies flying around for this February half-term. Come and warm up..! Neil
ps bring a thermos of cafe with you ..

17/01/2026

https://youtu.be/OSZKKz8fgFg

Here's the link to the video..

BTW we are still open while we have enough butterflies in the display, but best to check the Website the morning that you are coming..

This is the first of three trips made in 2024 and 2025 looking for one of the rarest and least known butterflies. It inhabits a small island just 50 miles a...

15/01/2026

In the last few winters I've been going out to The Spice islands in Indonesia filming the giant Birdwing butterflies out there. This is a vlog of the first of three trips looking for the least known of all the species - Aesacus. It shows the logistics involved in making such a trip as well as identifying some of the plants and animals out there. Neil

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSZKKz8fgFg

15/12/2025

WARMTH, TROPICAL WARMTH!!! Come and WARM UP at The Magic of Life Butterfly House, Aberystwyth this Twixtmas ! We are open for all the school hols (except Christmas Day).

We have a special mix of tropical butterflies in that fly well in the winter days. In addition, we have released a hundred owl butterflies in the last couple of weeks.

And why not take a Boxing Day walk in the beautiful Rheidol Valley first!