Anthony Valletta

Who was Anthony Valletta?

Anthony Valletta was a well known educationalist, lepidopterist and naturalist. The Birkirkara Primary School was named after him. He has written several books on nature in the Maltese Islands, such as Know the Trees and Know the Birds. He also discovered a sub-species of butterfly which has been named after him - Pterolonche vallettae. His collection of butterflies and insects was the largest in Malta. He was one of the first people in Malta to start a public consciousness to protect the island's environmental heritage. He was a headmaster at three state schools, Luqa, Għaxaq and Birkirkara and later an inspector of government schools for the Department of Education.