Butterflies

Butterflies are one of the prettiest of insects that can be found in the garden. When I was little I remember seeing so many different kinds of butterflies all over the summer drinking nectar on my mum's buddleia. Butterflies are suffering though, from modern farming techniques, and the use of more and more non-flowering shrubs and 'display' (too ornate for butterflies to feed from) flowers in public and private gardens. The recent bad weather has also not helped our native species either. One of the best ways to support all the species of butterflies is to plant all kinds of nectar rich flowers which they feed on. You can find details of all kinds of flowers at the Butterfly Conservation website, but here is a short list. Flowers that are good for butterflies in spring are bluebells, cuckooflower, dandilion, garlic mustard, pansy, primrose, sweet rocket, sweet william, wallflowers, violas. Flowers for the summer and early autumn are buddleia, chives, chrysthanemum, common bird's-foot trefoil, cornflower, forget-me-not, French marigold, globe thistle, honeysuckle, hyssop, lavender, lilac, marjoram, mint, valerian, thyme.

Identify a Butterfly
Seen a butterfly and not sure what kind it is? Identify it by looking at the Butterfly Conservation Identifier. You can also register your butterfly until August 5th in the Big Butterfly Count which aims to record the health of Britain's butterflies, and has been taking place every summer since 2010. Log your butterfly here.

Hand Knitted Finger Puppets

Juicy Jess
Snails may be a bit of an annoyance to gardener's, but they fascinate alot of children. They slide along the ground on what is one muscular foot and leave a trail to follow. Jess comes with a snail racing game.
£2.90 each.

Nectar Norma
Bees are so important in pollinating all the flowering plants and helping us to grow our fruit and vegetables. Most bees in this country are solitary bees, and Norma comes with information for building a bee habitat. £2.90 each.

Scarlet Charlotte 
The ladybird finger puppet comes with information for building a ladybird sanctuary in your garden, which gives ladybirds somewhere to hibernate over the winter. You can also find lots more activities here. £2.90 each.

Flirty Gerty
We will be adding lots of information about how to attract different kinds of butterflies to your garden, and what to plant for the caterpillars to eat. Gert comes with a butterfly imaginarium. £2.90 each.

Sidney Spider
Spiders spin beautiful webs which they use to catch their food. There are not insects but are arachnids which is why they have eight legs, not six like all insects. Sidney comes with his own spelling game. £2.90 each.








Buy two puppets for £5, please state your two chosen puppets as you order.

Buy all five minibeast puppets for £11.50, your puppets will come with two information sheets, place state which two you would like.

Our hand knitted finger puppets are supplied by Little Fingy who give to Cancer Research UK and environmental improvement schemes in the Britain. The puppets are knitted in Peru, and Little Fingy support the communities that produce them.