Naturalist photographer Samuel Jaffe grew up in Eastern Massachusetts chasing birds, mucking through ponds, and turning over leaves. Over the last five years he has developed a project to raise and photograph all of the more charismatic native caterpillars. The project has blossomed and expanded into caterpillar exhibits, shows, walks and talks, culminating in the creation of The Caterpillar Lab, in 2013. During the festival, Jaffe will share his knowledge, macro photography and incredible video derived from this very special project, so participants may become more familiar with butterflies in this phase of their lifecycle.
The Texas Butterfly Festival is the nation’s largest field festival dedicated to the enjoyment of wild, free-frying butterflies in the United States. Featuring four days of educational activities and expert-guided excursions, this special event should be on every outdoor enthusiast’s bucket list!
Meet the Creatures, April 22nd
This Earth Day, join us for our 3rd Annual Meet the Creatures event at the National Butterfly Center. This is one of few FREE ADMISSION days at the center, where the public is invited to learn more about everything wild and wonderful through tours, games, conservation crafts and hands-on encounters with live animals that are native and non-native to the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
Who: Everyone welcome! When: Saturday, April 22 from 10 am - 2 pm Where:National Butterfly Center, Mission, TX
We want to congratulate Angelica (Angie) Garcia on passing her national exam to become a certified wildlife rehabilitator. Now, the only certified rehabber in Hidalgo County, Angie brings her special skillset to bear on our educational programs, community outreach and mission of conservation. While our focus will always be butterflies, we find the public needs to know more about the roles native wildlife play in healthy ecosystems, to prevent the wholesale slaughter of species and human disregard for them.
To learn more about Angie’s outstanding achievement, click here.
Save the Date
The dates of next year’s Texas Butterfly Festival will be Saturday, Nov. 4 – Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017, so make plans to attend! As has been the case for the last couple of years, the annual Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival will begin Wednesday or Thursday of the same week which means visitors may choose to come, play and stay for all of the festivities!
We’ll post updates about the festival to the Texas Butterfly Festival website and Facebook page, so make sure to check back in late February, for more information.
