52 birdsandblooms.com AUGUST I SEPTEMBER 2020
Border
Butterf lies
FIELD GUIDE
outh Texas is well
documented for tropical
bird diversity—known
for green jays and
great kiskadees—but
butterflies of the region also reflect
a southern influence. If you want
to see a blue metalmark, pavon
emperor or white-striped longtail,
you’ll need to head for the border.
Fluttering Species Diversity
The Lower Rio Grande Valley,
a three-county region at the
southern tip of Texas, is home to
300 butterfly species, including
nearly 100 not found any farther
north. People travel to this tropical
region for a chance to see rare gems
such as crimson patches, Mexican
bluewings and two-barred flashers.
According to Marianna Trevino-
Wright, director of the National
Butterfly Center near Mission,
Texas, “We’ve observed 240 species
of butterflies and 286 species
of birds on our 100 acres.” She
says, “It is easy to rack up lots of
observations in a short visit.”
Butterfly-watching is an
excellent social activity. Butterflies
aren’t as easily spooked as birds.
Photographers find the hobby
particularly rewarding, especially
on cooler mornings when the
flutterers are less active. Before
the sun dries the early dew, many
butterflies will bask with “wings
spread out like solar panels,”
Marianna says.
Beyond the Gardens
The National Butterfly Center has
an “if you plant it, they will come”
philosophy. “People always ask
why we have such a great volume
and diversity of butterflies,”
Marianna says. “Well, it’s because
we bait them. By providing both
their preferred nectar and host
plants, we sort of lure them in.”
Butterflies are found in the
S
South Texas offers a look at diverse species
found nowhere else in the Lower 48.
BY KEN KEFFER
Blue
metalmark
LAR
RY
DITTO