8th Annual
Texas Butterfly Festival
Festival staged in the Rio Grande Valley, one of the most biologically diverse regions in the United States
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The Lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas is one of the most biologically diverse regions in the United States. Four ecosystems converge in this area, and with its sub-tropical climate, the area boasts over 290 species of butterflies, some 400 species of birds and approximately 78 species of odonates (dragonflies).
Mission, Texas, near McAllen, once again was the site for the annual Texas Butterfly Festival, one of the largest and most comprehensive festivals of its kind in North America. And according to early figures, the 2004 edition - the 8th annual festival - was one of the largest and most successful on record.
Thousands gathered in Mission October 16-19th to participate in the premier butterfly event of the Southwest. Field trips into butterfly-rich Mexico were on the agenda, and a lecture series from professionals was staged that would impress the greatest of butterfly lovers.
Visiting lecturers included Dr. Jeffrey Glassberg (“The Excitement of Mexican Butterflies”), Paul Opler ("Understanding Western Butterflies: Current Status and Possible Future Splits"), Bob Behrstock (“An Introduction to Odonates of the Rio Grande Valley”), Steve Cary (“Places and Faces in the Land of Enchantment”), Dr. Ray Stanford ("Mapping and Listing Western Butterflies:Current Status and Request for Input"), Fred Heath & Herb Clarke (“Butterflies through the Seasons in Southern California”), Jim Brock ("Video-Butterflies and Insects from Rondonia, Brazil") , and Mike Overton ( "ID Workshops").
The sheer number and variety of butterflies in the Lower Rio Grande Valley can be overwhelming. With about 300 species recorded in the area, there's a lot to learn. A significant percentage are found nowhere else in the United States, and the difference between species is often subtle.
As an added feature to this year's festival, visitors discovered the world of Odonates. Close-focus binoculars and a new generation of field guides are encouraging interest in dragonflies and damselflies-colorful, energetic, and valuable aquatic insects whose activity picks up just as the morning’s birding slows down. About 80 kinds of dragonflies and damselflies are known from the Lower Valley and the number continues to grow. Wetlands including water treatment ponds and irrigation ditches, resacas, and the banks of the Rio Grande offer naturalists a rich and initially confusing assortment of species, many of which may be identified with binoculars.
Other festival activities and events included a Butterfly and Nature EXPO, South Texas BBQ Dinner, and a silent auction to raise funds for butterfly activities in the Valley.
