Nature Champion Turns 100

Butterflies, wasps, concerts, and a new documentary. These are just some of the ways the world celebrated David Attenborough’s 100th birthday on May 8.

Attenborough is a famous environmentalist and broadcaster. He has spent decades bringing nature’s wonders to TV screens around the world. He is best known for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) nature documentary series Life on Earth. It premiered in Great Britain in 1979 and came to the United States in 1982.

Attenborough’s birthday was a big event. The BBC hosted a celebration on May 8, in London, England. Public figures and environmental advocates attended. Musicians performed. The BBC also released a new documentary revisiting Life on Earth.

In Stratford-Upon-Avon, a town in England, a butterfly farm hosted another special event. Attenborough visited the farm for his 1983 documentary Wildlife on One: A Touch of the Butterflies. The farm’s owner, Clive Farrell, said the documentary had a positive impact on the farm. To celebrate Attenborough’s birthday, the farm released 100 Blue Morpho butterflies.

A new species of wasp, originally from Chile, was also named in Attenborough’s honor. Its name is now Attenboroughnculus tau.

Like many around the world, Attenborough has been reflecting on his legacy. At 100, one of his favorite memories occurred while filming Life on Earth: his encounter with gorillas in the mountains of Rwanda. “Extraordinary, really,” he said of the experience. “It was one of the most privileged moments of my life, really.”