THE fortnightly Discovery Club run by the staff at Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre is proving to be popular with local families.

Children ventured out to count butterflies in the Onny Meadows and made butterfly feeders.

The charity running the Discovery Centre, Grow Cook Learn has developed a partnership with the butterfly charity Butterfly Conservation, with the planting of a butterfly garden by the outdoor seating area and a series of events tailored to educate families about the importance of wildlife gardening.

“‘Discovery Club is aimed at getting families outdoors to explore nature and have fun,” said Catherine Collier, general manager at the Discovery Centre.

“We were able to spot six butterflies in just a 15-minute walk around the Onny Meadows, after the heavy rain and a break in the showers.”

There is a team of volunteers doing a butterfly survey over the summer to identify what species of butterfly there are in the meadows.

To support this initiative the Discovery Centre is also running an event with Rhona Goddard, local expert from Butterfly Conservation on Saturday, July 30 between 1pm and 3pm.

It is hoped that as many people as possible will attend to help count butterflies.

The Big Butterfly count is a nationwide survey aimed at helping the conservation charity assess the health of our environment and the different species of butterfly.

It was launched in 2010 and has rapidly become the world’s biggest survey of butterflies. Visit www.bigbutterflycount.org.