This May and June have been simply spectacular, from the 2nd recorded U.S. sighting of the Red-Sided Swallowtail, found by Dan Jones, to Mike Rickard's sighting of the Dusted Spurwing (3rd U.S. sighting) and the Spot-celled Sister, another ultra-rarity!
Clearly, the drought is over across northern Mexico and Texas, and the rainfall has resulted in a bumper crop of butterflies, featuring uncommon species such as Pavon Emperors, Falcate Skippers, Ruby-Spotted Swallowtails and more. To read more about this exciting activity and other news from the National Butterfly Center, please visit our website for articles and announcements.
You Belong at the NBC
We are grateful for your interest in our mission and our work, and hope you are a proud member of the National Butterfly Center. If not, please consider joining the NBC or our parent organization, the North American Butterfly Association (NABA), to support our operations and programs, all of which benefit butterflies across the country.
Membership to the NBC entitles you to admission for 365 days/year, here, as well as reciprocal admission to almost 400 botanical gardens and nature centers that belong (as we do) to the American Horticultural Society. It also gives you a 10% discount in the gift shop and nursery, and invitation to members-only events. Membership to NABA gets you two quarterly magazine subscriptions: American Butterflies and Butterfly Gardener; both are exceptional learning tools that will inform and inspire you, regardless of your level of expertise in the ways and needs of lepidoptera.
It's easy to join both organizations online, or when you visit the NBC. We look forward to seeing you!
1st Installation of Butterfly Promenade Pavers
Now, you can leave a permanent marker in memoriam or 'just because' in the new Texas Butterfly Gardens, with the message of your choosing inscribed. The first batch of brick pavers arrived this week from McAllen Memorial Monuments and they look great! Thanks to your support, we will begin setting them in the Butterfly Promenade, soon, so everyone can see the special sentiments and personal tributes expressed by those who have chosen to participate in this donor program.
No Tricks, Just Treats in Mission, Oct. 31 - Nov. 3
Registration is OPEN for the 20th Annual Texas Butterfly Festival. Whether you attend every year or have never come to Mission for this unrivaled event, it's time to sign up and select your excursions. In addition to whatever goodies go in your bag, festival registration includes fresh, fantastic cuisine at Orientation AND the Border Buttermilk Social (that means margaritas, for you non-natives!) prepared by the Guerra family, proprietors of the one-and-only Centennial Club.
We work hard to make the TBF truly memorable and, thankfully, the butterflies have cooperated for the last two years, since the National Butterfly Center assumed responsibility for organizing and operating it. We have designed the festival to excite and entice you, with a variety of field trips to public and private lands that promise to yield fantastic sights. Regardless of your level of expertise, you are certain to enjoy outings and educational settings with our experienced guides--and don't forget to reserve your seat at the banquet with keynote speaker, Cuahtemoc Romero Saenz, forester from the Monarch overwintering grounds in Michoacan, Mexico.
When setting your agenda, please pay special attention to Trip Information, which provides details about what you may expect to encounter at each destination. Register online, or give Angie a call at 956.583.5400 to assist you, Monday-Friday, from 8 AM - 5 PM.
Eau De Ebony
Here's a new blog post from our executive director, Marianna Trevino Wright. Lessons & Reflections from the National Butterfly Center is an interesting way to gain a bit of insight and keep up with what's happening, here, in case you haven't stumbled upon it before.
"The sweetness is starting to return to my life, and boy, is it delicious! Over the past six months it’s been difficult to appreciate much of the good stuff that’s crossed my path, but the intoxicating fragrance of the Texas Ebony in bloom has awakened me to the richness of life, once again... Read more
