Butterflies

The Lower Rio Grande is a rich butterfly viewing area year round offering 300 species. One of the great places to watch butterflies is at the Valley Nature Center in Weslaco and they maintain a check list of what has been seen there by month. This list is carried on their web site under Butterflies at www.valleynaturecenter.org . For more free butterfly information, maps, and checklists and for field guides and other books call the Bird & Wildlife Shop at Alamo Inn, 956 782-9912.

South Texas has 300 of North America's 500 butterfly species.

Best Butterfly Hot Spots

• Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge butterfly gardens at visitor center and at old manager's residence, south of Alamo
• NABA Butterfly Park, south of Mission, east of Bentsen State Park
• Valley Nature Center and Frontera Audubon Sanctuary, Weslaco
• Edinburg Wetlands, Edinburg
• Los Ebanos Preserve, near Los Fresnos, Texas
• Sable Palm Audubon Sanctuary butterfly garden, near Brownsville
• Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge butterfly gardens at visitor center