Bugtopia Hornsea Zoo

31/08/2026

🦋 TODAY IS A GOOD DAY FOR BUTTERFLIES! 🦋

Our Tropical House has been looking particularly beautiful this morning, with butterflies of all shapes, colours and patterns fluttering amongst the tropical plants.

The Blue Morpho butterflies have been especially active, flying around in the morning sun and showing off those incredible flashes of blue! 💙🦋 As ever, though, they’re proving incredibly difficult to capture with a camera... they’re much better seen in person!

These are just a few of the butterfly species we did manage to photograph this morning, but there are plenty more to discover as you explore.

So, if you're looking for something to do this Bank Holiday Monday, why not come and spend it with us? 🦋🦜🐢🦎🕷️

Come and see our butterflies, meet our amazing animals and discover what else is waiting for you at Bugtopia Hornsea Zoo!

28/08/2026

🕷️💙 IS SHE THE PRETTIEST SPIDER IN THE WORLD!? 💙🕷️

After days of trying to photograph our newly moulted Peacock Tarantula, Poecilotheria metallica, today she finally decided to cooperate!

She sat out in the open and patiently allowed us to set up some additional lighting before posing for the camera, giving us the chance to capture just how incredible her colours really are. 😍

That incredible electric-blue colour isn't produced by pigment, it's created by microscopic structures in her exoskeleton interacting with light, producing her spectacular structural colouration.

And after her recent moult, she is looking absolutely STUNNING!

🌿 Want to see her for yourself? This Bank Holiday weekend could be the perfect opportunity to visit Bugtopia Hornsea and see what might just be one of the world's prettiest spider species while she's looking her absolute best.

But don't just come for the spider... there's a whole zoo of incredible animals waiting to be discovered! 🕷️🦎🦜🦋

Open throughout the Bank Holiday weekend.... come and see her while you can!

27/08/2026

After weeks of glorious sunshine, the rain is back ☔ But don't worry, East Yorkshire has plenty of brilliant rainy day options to keep the kids happy!

From the incredible indoor play space at William's Den and the splash zones at East Riding Leisure Bridlington, to making your own chocolate lolly at John Bull Confectioners, exploring a tropical rainforest at Bugtopia Hornsea Zoo or tackling an escape room in Beverley, there's really no excuse to be bored.

Head to the link in the comments for some rainy day inspo.

26/08/2026

Check out the awesome photo captured by Keeper Leah of one of our Madagascan hissing cockroachs! 📸

How could you dislike such a cute face?! 😍

Cockroaches are seriously underrated! Incredibly tough and adaptable, despite their reputation, they’re an important part of nature’s clean-up crew and fantastic recyclers, feeding on fallen leaves and other decaying plant material and helping return nutrients to the forest floor. 🌿

Think cockroaches are creepy? Come and see, learn about and maybe even meet them up close at Bugtopia Hornsea Zoo... you might just change your mind! ❤️

25/08/2026

🕷️ Freshly moulted and absolutely stunning!

Our beautiful blue "Peacock Tarantula" , Poecilotheria metallica, completed her moult at the end of last week, and we've spent the past few days trying to capture a photo that really does her justice.

Unfortunately, this particularly shy spider would much rather avoid the camera! So, while this photo isn't the best and doesn't quite show her in all her glory, it does capture one of her most incredible features... the beautiful iridescence on her feet, which catches the light with an almost metallic shimmer.

We don't know for certain exactly why this iridescence has evolved, but it may play a role in communication or potentially have a defensive function.

Whatever its purpose, there's no denying that it makes this species even more spectacular to look at especially when the light catches those newly moulted feet!

If you'd like to see her at her absolute best, this is the week to visit! Freshly moulted and showing off those incredible colours, there's a good chance you'll catch her looking at her most spectacular. 🕷️

Come along to Bugtopia Hornsea and see Poecilotheria metallica and the rest of our incredible animals for yourself!

18/08/2026

17/08/2026

🦋✨ A little sparkle for a grey day! ✨🦋

Another cool, cloudy day outside? Why not add a bit of glitter to your day with the shimmering scales of our beautiful butterflies!

Watch as they bask among the plants, their wings catching the light and showing off colours that look almost too good to be real. 🦋✨

🌴 Come escape the grey and step into our tropical world at Bugtopia Hornsea Zoo!

16/08/2026

Today brings a welcome cooler day, and while the rain is certainly needed, we can’t help but miss those blue summer skies! 💙

Don’t worry though, we’ve got plenty of blue to brighten your day at the Zoo!

Blue is surprisingly rare in the natural world, so when you do find it, it really stands out. From the brilliant blue of our Blue & Gold Macaw, to the shimmering wings of our Blue Morpho, the incredible Peacock Tarantula, and the electric turquoise of our Turquoise Dwarf Gecko. Nature has some seriously impressive shades of blue!

So if you’re missing the sunshine, come and find your blue at Bugtopia Hornsea Zoo! 💙🌿

14/08/2026

Come and walk with the animals this weekend! 🐢

Where else can you head out on an adventure and find yourself walking alongside a tortoise?

As you explore the Tropical House, you never quite know who you’ll meet along the way. Our red-footed tortoises are just one of the animals have the run of the paths and are often out exploring right alongside our visitors.

So come and see where the adventure takes you this weekend! 🐢🌴🦜🦋

13/08/2026

🌿🪲 Tansy beetle surveying in York!🪲🌿

On Monday, some of our team were out in York, walking the banks of the River Ouse as part of the annual Tansy Beetle Survey, one of the conservation projects we’re involved in as part of our work here at the zoo.

Our surveyors walked the transects, carefully recording the tansy plants they found and, most importantly, counting any of the endangered tansy beetles spotted along the way.

The tansy beetle (Chrysolina graminis) is one of the UK’s rarest beetles, with the River Ouse in Yorkshire being one of its last strongholds. Regular monitoring helps keep track of the population and contributes to ongoing efforts to protect this fascinating little beetle.

We’re proud that our conservation work doesn’t stop at the zoo gates, and that our team can get out into the field and play a part in protecting native British wildlife. 💚