Two of the Green Iguanas that reside at Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm.

The green iguana’s extensive range comprises the rain forests of northern Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean Islands, and southern Brazil. They spend most of their lives in the canopy, descending only infrequently to mate, lay eggs, or change trees.

Primarily herbivores, iguanas are active during the day, feeding on leaves, flowers, and fruit. They generally live near water and are excellent swimmers. If threatened, they will leap from a branch, often from great heights, and escape with a splash to the water below. They are also tough enough to land on solid ground from as high as 40 feet and survive.

The Mexican Red Knee lives on the Pacific Coast of Mexico in dry forest and desert habitats

Whe threatened they will not hisitate to flick hairs from their abdomen using their back legs. We call these ‘urticating Hairs’ and they can cause itchiness, swelling respiratory issues if inhaled.

Female Red Knee tarantulas can live to by as old as 30, whereas males rarely live past 10 years old.

Their diet consists of insects, frogs and the occasional mouse.*

*Information from a signboard next to the Tarantulas

Giant leaf insects are native to the tropical forests of Malasia and Indonesia.

The leaf-like camouflage of these insects allows them to avoid being eaten whilst they eat the surrounding leaves.

However this camouflage is so effective that herbivores and other leaf insect do eat them by mistake.

Giant leaf insects are parthenogenic meaning that they can reproduce without mating. When doing so they only produce female offspring causing males to be very rare.*

*Information from a signboard next to the Leaf Insects

Green Bean stick insects are native to the Caribbean including the islands of Grenada, St Vincent and Guadeloupe.

Both males and females have vestigial wings. This means that their evolutionary ancestors had wings and were capable of flight. However, the ability to fly became less useful and so their wings diminished over many generations until they became small and no longer worked.

Males are small and brown whereas females are large and green.

They feed on a variety of tree leaves native to the Caribbean but will happily eat bramble, eucalyptus and oak in the UK. *

*Information from a signboard next to the Stick Insects

The Malagasy Giant Chameleon is native to the island of Madagascar, off the coast of Africa.

They are the largest chameleon in length and the secon heaviset in weight. Although their typical diet is insects their large size also enables them to eat small birds and reptiles.

Chamelons are famous for changing colour. However, this colour change is used more for temperature regulation and social signalling than camouflage.

They are unique, in that they have specialised leaves called cups. These cups hold digestive enzymes which allow them to consume flies and other invertebrates.

The butterfly in the final photo of my previous post was perched looking over the Koi swimming below.

A few of the many varieties of butterflies that flutter around Stratford-upon-Avon butterfly farm.

Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, the family home of Anne Hathaway, William Shakespeare’s wife-to-be. It is here that Anne was born and raised and where the young Shakespeare would have visited her during the early part of their relationship. Built more than 500 years ago and extended over the years, much of the original survives.

Anne Hathaway’s Cottage was originally a farmhouse. It was built in 1463 and comprised only three rooms, two of which survive – the kitchen and the parlour. The first Hathaway to live in the cottage was Anne’s grandfather John Hathaway, who was a tenant sheep farmer. Anne, later Shakespeare’s wife, was born in the cottage in 1556.

When the site was a farm it was known as ‘Hewlands’ and the Hathaway family were successful sheep farmers. The garden was a farmyard with some livestock and space for growing herbs and vegetables.

Anne’s father died in 1581 and Anne’s brother Bartholomew inherited the tenancy of the 90-acre farm and he later bought the freehold. He then added an extension, increasing the size of the cottage and inserted new chimneys and an upper floor at the same time. This work was completed before Bartholomew’s death in 1624.

By the late 19th century, the family’s fortunes had declined. Some property including land and other houses were mortgaged, and eventually sold. In 1838 the cottage itself was sold, but the Hathaway family continued to live in the cottage as tenants.

One of the last Hathaways to live in the cottage was Mary Baker. When the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust purchased the cottage in 1892, Mary and her family were paid the large wage of £75 per year. Their duties were to share family stories and to care for the cottage, both of which we continue to do today. Her son William Baker occupied part of the cottage until he left in 1911.