Learn the basics of worm composting with Jennifer Hall, who has years of hands-on experience and a passion for sustainable gardening. Jennifer will cover best practices, common mistakes, and answer your questions in this interactive program.

Happy New Year from the National Butterfly Center! 🦋 We’re excited to share our January Calendar of Events. We have story time, night hikes, workshops, and more. Save our calendar and we hope to see you soon!

Thank you for being part of the National Butterfly Center! Thank you for supporting us through 2025.

#ArtAdventCalendar Day 6: another Lower Rio Grande Valley specialty, the red-bordered pixie, fans out on a Duranta flower at the @natbutterflycenter.bsky.social. Normally these are so scarce that you take what you can get, photo-wise, but they're having a banner year in 2025!

If you love gardening, pollinators, or want to learn more about winter butterfly activity, this is a perfect workshop for you. We hope to see you here! Today at 10:00AM :D

Thank you all for enjoying our photos and sharing them! What would you like to see from us? Birds? Spiders? Plants? You ask and we will deliver :D

Some butterflies aren’t rare, but when they return in big numbers after years of quiet, it feels like welcoming back old friends. This fall has been full of those joyful surprises at the National Butterfly Center.

Some butterflies aren’t rare, but when they return in big numbers after years of quiet, it feels like welcoming back old friends. This fall has been full of those joyful surprises at the National Butterfly Center.

November began with pure magic! The Ruby-Spotted Swallowtail surprised everyone, the Starred Skipper appeared just once , and our hairstreak lovers enjoyed a quarted including the Marius Hairstreak, Yojoa Scrub Hairstreak, the White Scrub Hairstreak, and the delicate Viceroy’s Ministreak.

Winter Wings Holiday Market • Dec 19 & 20 Celebrate the season with butterflies, culture, local artisans, poinsettias, food vendors, and festive holiday shopping at the National Butterfly Center! Please repost to spread the word!

Whether you’re learning how to prepare your garden for the winter, want to sing Happy Birthday to Spike, or want to shop local and get in the spirit of the holidays, there is something for everyone this season.

Hello ALL! We were locked out of our BlueSky profile, but we are back. :D

The butterflies keep coming and just in time for the Texas Butterfly Festival! 🦋 You never know what might flutter by during the festival this weekend. Come see for yourself!

Tropical Orbweaver - #Arachtober (Eriophora ravilla) #spider #macro #macrophotography #naturephotography

We’re thrilled to have our partner organizations joining us with hands-on activities, educational exhibits, and engaging experiences for kids and adults alike. Check out all of our wonderful partners on the flyer and don’t forget to visit their booths!

It’s almost time for the Texas Butterfly Festival! 🦋 Mark your calendars for Nov 1st and join us for a celebration of butterflies, gardens, and community. Here’s a sneak peek at some of our amazing vendors joining us this year! 🌼✨

We were thrilled to host the @texasparkswildlife.bsky.social promotions team this week! It’s always exciting to connect with others who share our passion for protecting Texas wildlife and natural spaces. We can’t wait to see how their work continues to inspire conservation across the state.

Arrow-shaped Orbweaver (Micrathena sagittata) - #Arachtober 7 #spider #arachnid #macrophotography #naturephotography #stereography

We’re thrilled to share that the Texas Butterfly Festival is featured in the latest issue of TPW Magazine! 🦋✨ Read the full story here: tpwmagazine.com/travel-cultu...

Entries close at MIDNIGHT! Don’t miss your chance to be part of our Photo Contest. Submit your photos NOW before the clock runs out. Visit link below for contest information and to submit your photos. photos.nationalbutterflycenter.org

We’re inviting local vendors, artists, and small businesses to be part of this exciting event! ✅ Share your work with hundreds of festival visitors ✅ Showcase your business at a community-centered celebration Sign-Up Below: forms.gle/HtiXdPa3vgbr...

You’re invited! Join us for Community Day at the 29th Annual Texas Butterfly Festival 🦋 📅 Saturday, November 1, 2025 ⏰ 9 AM – 2 PM National Butterfly Center, Mission, TX FREE EVENT Help us kick off the festival with a day full of nature, family fun, and community!

Let's close out September with a weekend all about BATS! Join us for a weekend of fun, learning, and family activities.

Enter the 2025 North American Butterfly Photo Contest! Winners will be displayed at the National Butterfly Center and in the Winter 2025 issue of American Butterflies Magazine. For more information and the complete rules, visit our TBF website at: photos.nationalbutterflycenter.org

This Saturday! Join us for Picnic with the Reptiles We will start our morning with a hike through our Hackberry Trail to try to find some of our scaled friends. Then, we will enjoy some yummy snacks and an arts & craft while learn more about the Reptiles of the RGV.

We're grateful for the bit of rain we received yesterday! The plants and butterflies have soaked it right up. This makes the humidity very high. If you're coming out to visit us, please remember to come prepared for the outdoors. Your safety is important to us. 😀💧

Join us tomorrow for S'mores & Moths ft. Zena's Rescue Treats! Bring your flashlight and comfiest chairs to come hang around our campfire to learn about our wildlife. Plus, if you buy some dog treats your purchase helps dogs in shelters. You might even meet some Saturday night. Saturday 6-9pm

Finally, had the opportunity to walk the gardens this afternoon. Through the heat we had the opportunity to see some of our winged friends. At the birding area we came across this male Great Tailed Grackle who only had one eye. You never know what you'll see.

We are at 60 butterfly species for the month of August! Some highlights of this weekend's findings were Common Mestra, Double-dotted Skipper, Lantana Scrub-Hairstreak, and Mimosa Skipper. All photos by Member Dan Jones.

Upon arriving this morning we were welcomed by the sweet scent of our Whitebrush blooming. This Titan Sphinx Moth was enjoying it.

Gray Cracker! Thank you to guest Craig Hensley for finding this beauty. These butterflies are masters of camouflage and get their name because of the way that males produce a "cracking" sound for territorial display.

August just started, and we're already seeing some exciting surprises! We've recorded 36 butterfly species so far this month. Top 3 most exciting finds were a beautiful White Peacock, Brown-banded Skipper, and a White Patched Skipper.

Join us this August! We are trying to provide a little bit for everyone :D

Join us tomorrow for our weekly Guided Nature Walk, from 9:00am to 11:00am. We know it's hot out there, but the gardens are wonderful. Come prepared with your hat, long sleeve shirt and water bottle to explore the gardens with us. You never know what you'll see at the NBC!

The stream was popping with excitement yesterday morning. There were Painted Buntings, Orchard Orioles, Groove billed Anis, Lesser Goldfinch and others enjoying the water. Join us and let us know what you spot!

As July comes to a close, we want to invite you to our August Speaker event this Saturday. We are excited to welcome Ernesto Herrera to share his knowledge and experience with Reptiles and Amphibians of the RGV. You won't want to miss it 😃

Yesterday, member Dan Jones, observed a Ornythion Swallowtail nectaring on our Fiddlewoods. Alex quickly went out to see if he could refind it and get some pictures. This Swallowtail looks very similar to our Giant's, but yellow is paler on this species and with no yellow on the tail.

It's been one whole year since we launched our monthly educational programs, and it has been a fun journey. From native plants, to birds, to fishing, it has been an adventure. As we prepare to restart our Speaker Series this August and plan our fall schedule, we want to hear from you!

The butterflies are out this sunny morning. While sightings vary from day to day, there's always something beautiful to discover. If you're planning a visit, come early, wear sun protection, stay hydrated and be prepared for the heat. We hope to see you soon!

We've got two great opportunities for you this week: 🦋Native Plant Nursery Day Help us at our native plant nursery! We need extra hands to help us prepare soil, make plant bands, and plant. 🎣Rio Fishing at the NBC We still have a few spots open for our July 11th. Reserve your spot (956)583-5400

Thank you for participating and completing our Photo Scavenger Hunt this weekend! We love that you chose to spend your Sunday with us and our wildlife. This is also the first time that someone sits and completes one of our puzzles in the Chrysalis Pavillion.

Come explore, learn, and connect with nature this July. Save the dates and join us!

There is some fungi magic in the gardens! Remember that what you see above ground is just the fruiting body of a much larger hidden network underground. This underground web connects plants and trees, helping them share nutrients, water, and even chemical messages.

Registration is now open!

Check out this shot we got! It is not the best angle nor was it the sharpest, but we loved the interaction. At first glance our main focus was this Monarch and missed the bees and the fly coming into land. Remember we have our weekly Guided Nature Walk tomorrow from 9-11am!

Today's Butterfly of the Week is the Southern Dogface! Southern Dogface's host plant is Texas Kidneywood, plants in Fabaceae family, and Dalea species. Look at the colors on the caterpillar! #NationalButterflyCenter #LearnTogether

NEW Site Damselfly! Orange Bluet (Enallagma signatum) Thank you to the Mckee's, John and Cindy! Cindy photographed this male Orange Bluet in our parking lot pond on April 9th. Photo by Cindy McKee

Some of what we saw this morning. This weekend we invite you to take a break from the busy world and take a stroll through our trails. You never know what you might see at the NBC!

Today's Butterfly of the Week is the Guava Skipper. Guava Skippers are starting to pop up around the Rio Grande Valley and we thought it was time to highlight them. The host plant for this butterfly is Guavas. Do you have any in your yard?

It's hot out there, but the butterflies don't seem to mind. We have spotted 38 species, and it is only June 4th! They are flying around in the thistle, feeding on brew logs, and hiding under leaves. Check out this Guava Skipper that Member Beverly Pardue found! Can't wait to see you all here!