THE arrival of spring has seen the first year of breeding for some rare species of butterfly at a nature reserve.
Breeders at Butterfly World, at Preston Park, near Stockton, said the end of winter had seen endangered species produce their first offspring.
The rare species include the black and yellow Troides Radamanthus, which is a native of the Philipinnes, and the Iradescent Blue Morpho Peleides, which comes from the Amazon.
There are thought to be about 20,000 different species of butterfly in the world although deforestation and modern farming methods are pushing many breeds to the brink of extinction.
Breeder Gareth Welsh said the centre at Preston Park had between 600 and 700 species.
He said: "The Troides Radamanthus is on the endangered list. We started breeding the butterfly last year and this is our first chance to see the offspring, which really are very beautiful to look at."
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