What got you interested in butterflies and insects?

Well, it was plants first. I remember being fascinated by a picture of a huge Abyssinian banana leaf (from Ethiopia) in a book and that got me started. I had cacti when I was six and then kept hundreds of carnivorous plants in Dad's old greenhouse.

Were you encouraged by your parents?

Yes, my mother took me to the Cacti Society and I remember visiting Kew Gardens. We used to look after wild animals that the animal sanctuary couldn't take care of and my brothers got interested in birds. One illustrates for bird books now.

At school I really wanted to go to Borneo so I saved up my pay from my Homebase job and went in my gap year. It was the first time I had been abroad! After a week of looking for plants like the pitcher plant I just loved the rain forest and the big tropical butterflies were fascinating. I then did my degree in Botany and then my PhD in Denmark with field work in Ecuador.

What made you come to Mid Wales having been to all these wonderful tropical places?

I think it is easier in your own culture to talk about and promote nature. And we are the ones who need to learn, with all our buying... And we can give practical tips for making changes here too, with hay meadows and gardens for example and via our website (see the website listed to the right of this page).

I had thought about Devon or Cornwall but my mother moved to Tregaron and this just seemed a really good spot.

How many butterflies do you have in the polytunnel?

We have about two hundred at the moment with about 30-35 species represented. We import them from farms in Africa, French Surinam and the Phillipines. Butterfly farming is the fastest growing agricultural sector and was completely unthinkable until accessible flights in the 1950s because we have to get them here within three days.

We also breed here, and tend to go for ones that are longer living so people can see them for longer. Our plants all have to provide shade or feeding, or act as a butterfly specialist - providing the right chemicals for females and protecting these from birds, for example.

In fact, it can be easier to save endangered plants, we have one that only exists in two places in Costa Rica (although it is not protected) and we share our plants with Kew Gardens, for example.

The business has good, if small, effects, because the farmers need a wild female to lay eggs once in a while to prevent inbreeding so the rain forest becomes a source of income for those local people who then have more investment in its protection.

How do visitors respond to the insects?

Oh, it depends on their mood, and ours! Even a 2 year old might say 'yuck' when faced with a grub but generally children up to 12 get really excited, after that they might be a bit too 'cool'. That's why we've called the place 'Magic of Life' to try and recapture the excitement about nature we have as children.

We get about 8,000 people a year which is just about right for us to be able to meet everyone and talk to them about what they are looking at. And they always seem to come out smiling!

Usually insects don't get much of a look in - but they ARE biodiversity. 70% of all species are insects, so here, we try to explain the less charismatic species too. And plants. In an ecosystem you can't separate plants from insects because they belong together. And the tropical plants with their big leaves help to create a little bit of paradise.

How difficult was it to establish the Butterfly House?

Well, it took two and a half years to get the first fence post in! And then we had two and a half months to get the place open and every week seemed to bring another reason why it couldn't work.

After five years it feels like the building is about right. I prefer the look of glass but it's a lot more expensive and loses heat. This polytunnel has two layers so traps the heat well. We need a pint of water for every hour we are in here showing people around in order to stay hydrated. If you don't, one of the first signs of dehydration is not being able to think of the words you need so you know its time to head out for a bit!

We had to get planning permission and got a letter from the local valley council backing the idea. We rent from Eon next door so luckily didn't have to create a car park and so on so I could concentrate on the Butterfly House itself.

Luckily, because we have invertebrates here we only need a license for public display of animals, rather than having to become a zoo which would entail lots of vet visits and so on.

The farmers at the other end are responsible for shipping and so on and customs in this country check for rare species and seize them if necessary. It is a big business, collecting dead butterflies in Brazil, for example. Most are farmed, however, so its not so much collectors that are the problem as the wiping out of habitat.

Agriculture and now biofuels are the big problems. Biofuels need the best sun spots which are often the important tropical areas we need to look after.

What advice would you give to people with similar interests?

If parents have children who show even just an inkling of interest they should really encourage them and take them all the way...

I followed my interests, I could have stayed in science but it wasn't satisfying. I've spent every waking hour on this for eight years! It is very difficult, a real test, but it only fails when you give up.

When did you last get away?

Initially I had planned the business to run during the summer so I could go abroad in the winter. That first year I went to India for six weeks and even though people were looking after the plants and so on, I came back and everything was dead! So now it's a two week maximum and I even have an alarm at home that tells me if the temperature drops inside the tunnel.

Interview with Neil Gale