THREE WEEKS AWAY!

The 24th annual Texas Butterfly Festival begins at 8 AM, Saturday, November 3, with the Running of the Monarchs, our 5K trail run with native seed bombing for habitat restoration. It’s a fun way for everyone to have a hand in the work we do to support butterflies and the perfect way to kickoff our free Community Day.  This “open house” includes guided walks, garden education, scavenger hunts and lots of games designed to teach children and adults about the Rio Grande Valley’s natural treasures. 

That evening, we welcome festival registrants who’ve signed up for three days of excursions across the four-county region in search of spectacular butterfly (and bird) species. If you have not enlisted yet, there are still fantastic field trips available!  It’s totally worth the price of admission to enjoy the food, fellowship and friends—new and old—at this very special event that has become a regular tradition for so many. 

The host hotel, La Quinta McAllen Convention Center, has released a few more rooms for us, so don’t hesitate! You know you want to be here this November 2-5, and we can’t wait to receive you.

Species at Stake

The National Butterfly Center is pleased to showcase multimedia artist, Mujtaba H. Naqvi’s expanded and enhanced Species at Stake exhibit, officially opening Saturday, November 2, 2019. Born in Karachi, Pakistan in 1977, Naqvi was encouraged as a child to consider even the smallest creatures by his parents. As he matured, he was also greatly influenced by the social and political injustices he witnessed growing up in one of the most densely populated urban centers in the world. His early experiences, paired with those gathered upon moving to the Rio Grande Valley in 2004, give him a unique perspective on society, more specifically the forms and types of oppression that are found globally. ​

Since 2016, Naqvi has been working on Species at Stake. An active member of the National Butterfly Center, he has taken thousands of digital photographs of South Texas wildlife here, and at other nature centers, in an attempt to document the countless creatures that are currently in danger due to human actions. Most of these animals, though integral to our ecosystem, are easily overlooked because most people do not interact with them on a daily basis. Naqvi’s large portraits, typically of the creature’s faces, as designed to stop viewers and move them to look into the eyes of the animals imperiled by road traffic, habitat destruction, development, pesticide use and more. When possible, Species at Stake is displayed on the floor as an interactive exhibit, so engaged viewers begin to understand the ways in which the lives of these creatures are trampled by human beings.

Terror on the Haunted Trails

This October 25 and 26, the National Butterfly Center will stay open ‘til the witching hour for the 2nd annual Haunted Trails event, where our grounds are transformed into a dark domain of terror!  For those who enjoy being frightened in the dark, this experience is a one-mile walk through a wonderland of the wicked and macabre. 

Admission is $20 (cash only) at the gate, which will open around 7 pm and close at midnight. Entrants must be Age 14 and older. We advise everyone to wear closed-toe walking shoes, i.e. no heels, in case you need to escape the rabid Chupacabra or blood-thirsty Lechusa. No flashlights or flash photography are allowed. For more information on the event or to share it with your friends, visit our event page on Facebook, here.

Butterfly Bonanza to Costa Rica

The National Butterfly Center is pleased to announce the first-ever, guided Butterfly Bonanza trip to Costa Rica with in-country host, Holbrook Travel. Together, we've planned an unparalleled excursion guaranteed to delight!  Please join us on this 8 day-7 night journey, June 14-21, 2020, to explore some of the highlights of this tropical paradise, from the country's arid northwest to the lush lowlands of the Caribbean, near the border to Panama.

This program is the first of it’s kind designed uniquely to cater to butterfly enthusiasts, interested in experiencing world-renowned conservation projects, such as Santa Rosa National Park, where close to 1,500 butterfly species have been identified, with one of Latin America’s premier lepidopterists, Ricardo Murillo, who will serve as your expert environmental educator.

The fee for this all-inclusive adventures is $2,895 per person (airfare excluded). Full trip details, including deposits for reservations and deadlines are available here. 

Announcing the Wild Gardening Festival

New for everyone interested in #GoodHabitatForming, the National Butterfly Center is launching a spring festival during the peak of wildflower season throughout Texas, this April 18-21, 2020.  We’ve crafted a super slate of guest speakers and workshop leaders to teach gardeners of every experience level and interest how to make great use of whatever space they have to support butterflies, birds, bee and more!

We believe everyone can make the world a better place just by getting their hands dirty, and this festival, concurrent with national Earth Day celebrations, is designed to empower people to do just that.  Please check out the Wild Gardening Festival, here; share it with friends and fellow gardeners in your community, and register today!