Join us at 9AM Sunday, July 17, for the annual Summer Butterfly Count. If you are a passionate or experienced butterflier, it’s absolutely worth visiting the Rio Grande Valley to participate in this survey. You never know what will turn up at a time when Erato Heliconians, Ruddy and Many-banded Daggerwings, Rosita Patch, Silver Emperors, Mimosa Skippers, Clench’s Hairstreak and other rare species are appearing at sites within the count circle!
This summer, the National Butterfly will have three weeks of outdoor adventure camps for children ages 7 – 12. Week One is Critter Camp; Week Two is Luciano’s Legion, a youth photography camp led by award-winning, professional wildlife photographer, Luciano Guerra; and Week Three is Nature Blocks, an art, design and engineering camp focused on building a better world based upon our outdoor observations. At $25/week, these camps can’t be beat! Register online, or call 956.583.5400. And yes, parents who want to learn and join in the fun may enroll, too.
UPDATE: Texas Butterfly Festival & NABA Biennial Members’ Meeting
Field trips are starting to sell out, so don’t delay registering! The festival and meeting are open to ALL as the registration fee includes NABA membership and benefits, for those who may not have joined already. Existing members receive a $25 discount on the festival/meeting fee.
If you are traveling by RV or seek accommodations other than the host hotel, both Bentsen-Palm RV Resort and Oleander Acres are close, planted for butterflies and offer special pricing to NABA Members. To learn more about area accommodations, especially for extended or seasonal stay, click here.
Click & Win!
The North American Butterfly Photo Contest will open for submissions September 1-30, so make sure your batteries are charged and your camera is handy! The Grande Prix is a $500 cash prize and your photo will hang in the National Butterfly Center for all to see. Get out there and show us what you’ve got for your chance to win!
Things are rarely boring at the National Butterfly Center, as you may have seen first-hand. Every day is different and this means we have many opportunities to fall and to fly. Here’s a new blog from our director, Marianna, on Soaring:
It’s my job at the National Butterfly Center, to see the big picture and plot a course for us to achieve abstract visions and concrete dreams. Sometimes the future seems so fantastical I cannot imagine ever reaching there. Other times, I get bogged down in the mapping and weary from the steering.
When this happens, I can usually be found crying at my desk.
My son says this is necessary to clean the pollen, dust and bird poop off my windshield to the world.
“You know, Mom, all that nasty stuff like bug guts that gets stuck there and makes it hard to see,” explains Nicholas. Read More
