Join us next Thursday, July 17, at 7 PM, at the DC Environmental Film Festival for the East Coast premiere of Ay Mariposa (Oh Butterfly), the documentary film featuring the National Butterfly Center and our battle against Trump’s border wall. Our executive director Marianna Trevino Wright will be at Landmark’s E Street Theatre to receive guests and participate in a panel discussion, along with Congressman and Chair of the House Natural Resources Committee Raúl Grijalva, CEO of Grist.org Brady Walkinshaw and Ay Mariposa subject Zulema Hernandez.
The Ay Mariposa film website is ready and it’s loaded with important information. Of special interest is the ACT section, designed to help people engage in border wall resistance.
The ACT section helps you call, write, post on social media and research your Members of Congress' record on border wall support (you may be shocked by what you learn). The site also helps you share important information to help others understand this issue, and support the work of those who are fighting on the front lines—including the National Butterfly Center and the Sierra Club Borderlands project.
Please check it out and get prepared to ACT, as we head into the 2020 federal budgeting process where a mobilized resistance will again be essential to blocking more border wall funding.
Are you interested in attending the nation’s best butterflying festival? If so, do not delay! Learn more about this all-inclusive 4-day event by visiting www.TexasButterflyFestival.com, select your trips and register soon because participation is limited and trips are already starting to sell out.
There are only three seats left on the following Texas Butterfly Festival trips:
Sunday: Sabal & Sams Some of the richest wildlife habitat in North America may be found in the lush riparian preserves and marshes found along the banks of the Rio Grande River, as it winds to the Laguna Madre. This trip to the Sabal Palm sanctuary and the former Camp Lula Sams focuses on finding butterflies such as Boisduval’s Yellow, Walker's Metalmark and Gemmed Satyr; but also offers the chance to encounter endangered species and neotropical birds. One site allows you to pass through the Border Wall, while another lets you go back in time to South Texas’ historic Girl Scout campgrounds. Slow easy walking with restrooms available.
Monday: Riverboat Ride & Seek It's always a good day at the National Butterfly Center, where you may expect to see 65-70+ species! This trip takes you down the road to a refuge property around La Lomita Mission, a historical site, and then to the Riverside Club, where Captain Johnny will show you the sights up and down the Rio Grande River, on a leisurely cruise. This trip is a favorite for birders looking to add species to the Mexico and US lists! After the cruise, return to our 100-acre preserve and get to know it better, with guides who will take you across the levee to look for butterflies on the wild side. Ever-growing gardens and native habitat expansion invite hundreds of species each year, including U.S. Records and ultra-rarities like the Red-sided Swallowtail and Dusted Spurwing, seen in 2015. The truth is you never know what you’ll see at the NBC! Slow easy walking (unless you’re on the chase) with restrooms and benches on the ‘front 30.’ Picnic under the palapa.
Save the Date
Are you interested in gardening for a greener world? If so, plan to attend the inaugural Wild Gardening Festival at the National Butterfly Center, April 18 – 21, 2020. This 4-day festival is fit for gardeners at every experience level interested in learning more about how they can make the planet a better place just by getting their hands dirty. Our mission is increasing healthy habitat for butterflies, birds, bees and other wildlife one garden at a time, because we’re #GoodHabitatForming!
Border Wall Update: As Published in American Butterflies Magazine
Members of the North American Butterfly Association (NABA) receive two magazines each quarter: American Butterflies and Butterfly Gardener. In the Summer 2019 issue of the first, there is a detailed article documenting all that’s happened at the National Butterfly Center since we discovered the government contractors on the property two years ago. It’s an excellent read and something to share with those who may not know about us, the importance of habitat for wild, free-flying butterflies, and our plight. Read “The National Butterfly Center Hits a Wall—And Keeps on Going,” here:
A pre-dawn awakening ahead of a beautiful day at the National Butterfly Center, used to be filled with anticipation of Guatemalan Crackers, Malachites and an untold measure of magnificent creatures!
Each morning was filled with dew and a long list of ‘to-dos’, designed to keep us growing. Staff meetings focused on guest experience, educational programs and maintenance tasks, inventory management and upcoming events.
Not so long ago, I felt attuned to the seasonal changes of the place, the peculiar rhythm of the plants, never static, and the special magic of the center, bustling with happy energy and contagious curiosity from members and schoolchildren.
But that was before the battle for border wall began…Read more.
REGISTER TODAY:
24th Annual Texas Butterfly Festival
We racked up over 116 species and lots of precious memories last year, so REGISTER TODAY for 2019, and join us for this all-inclusive BUTTERFLY BONANZA!!!
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