Wait for me, don't fly away - Visit to Penang Butterfly Farm

For our visit to Penang during Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas cruise, instead of going on food trails, hawker fair, shopping or city sightseeing tours, we chose an excursion that we thought would delight the kids most - Visit a butterfly farm.

There is something dreamy about stepping into a tropical garden teeming with hundreds of real exotic butterflies While we might not be entomologists nor do I consider myself an insect lover, it was a delight to be immersed in the natural wonders of these fluttering beauties.
 

The Penang Butterfly Farm was established in 1986 in Penang, Malaysia with two main objectives, namely to function as a tourist destination and to serve as a centre for education, recreation and scientific research. 

Did you know? Malay Peninsular has over 1000 recorded butterfly species, among the highest of any country in the world in relation to her small land mass.

Unlike what many people might perceive, the Penang Butterfly Farm is more than just a tourist attraction. It is set up as a 'living museum' to educate the public as well as a research centre to develop breeding methods. In fact, the farm has come to be known and respected internationally as a breeding centre.

Today, the Penang Butterfly Farm is the first tropical butterfly farm ever set up with an average flying population of 4000 Malaysian butterflies of 120 different species.

Now, are you interested in reading more fun facts about butterflies?

1) Butterflies can see the colours red, green, and yellow.

2) There are 15,000-20,000 species of butterfly in the world.

3) Butterflies can fly only when the temperature is between 28°C and 38°C.

4) Some butterflies live for nine months but most live for only about two or three weeks.

5) Butterflies have taste receptors on their feet that sense nutritious leaves to lay their eggs on.

6) Butterflies have their skeletons on the outside of their bodies, called the exoskeleton. This protects the insect and keeps water inside their bodies so they don’t dry out.

One interesting thing I learnt about butterflies was their 'courtship dance'.

An adult butterfly's primary goal in life is to reproduce. When a male butterfly sights a potential female, it will fly closer and release a special perfume called pheromone. The male may also perform a special courtship dance to attract the female and if she is interested to mate, she will join in the dance. If a female rejects the male during the courting dance, she will start flying in a straight line up and down. The male will then become discouraged and eventually fly away.

It might have been just a short afternoon that we spent with these gorgeous, at times camouflaged, butterflies. Nonetheless, judging from the big smiles on the girls, I think they totally loved coming up close with these beautiful insects and learning more about nature at the same time.

P.S: Stay tuned for our last shore excursion write-up where the girls had their first elephant ride in Phuket!


The Penang Butterfly Farm
Address: No. 830, Jalan Teluk Bahang,
Teluk Bahang, 11050 Penang. Malaysia.
Tel: 60-4-885 1253
Fax: 60-4-885 1741
Email: info@butterfly-insect.com
Website: www.butterfly-insect.com 

For those in Singapore who wish to learn more, you can also visit the below.

Butterfly Park & Insect Kingdom
51 Imbiah Rd, Sentosa,
Singapore 099702
Tel:+65 6275 0013
Fax:+65 6275 5353
Website: www.jungle.com.sg

Oh' Farms Butterfly Lodge
Nee Soon Agrotechnology Parks
14A, Bah Soon Pah Road, Singapore 769970
Tel: +65-67538011
Fax:   +65-67547270
Website: www.ohfarms.com.sg