Chasing Pixies ('Cause the Housework can Wait!)

226450 621076144585073 1570408446 n 1Lessons & Reflections from the National Butterfly Center 

Spring used to mean cleaning. Lots and lots of cleaning. But now it means PLANTING.

Stripping and flipping mattresses has been replaced by trimming and turning beds, and I can't wait to see the transformation. I am TOTALLY AND UNABASHEDLY OVERJOYED to abandon housework for the gardens and trails of the NBC, and recently, we had the help of 48 high school seniors in the nursery. They weeded and seeded dozens of flats, and transplanted trees into containers large enough to support their growth. Turns out plants—specifically, host plants—are the great multiplier of butterflies.  For this reason, we keep propagating and planting!

Max, our grounds manager, tells me things grow so quickly, here, that if you blink you'll miss it. This sounds like a Texas tall tale, but I am willing to suspend judgement for a week, or a season. After all, I never would've believed the number and variety of butterflies found here, if I hadn't seen for myself last fall; if I didn't experience it, almost daily!

This is my first spring at the NBC, so it’s my first exposure to spring migration, and I am really excited for all of it—butterflies, birds and blooms!  I am also inclined to buy into the hype. It’s sort of contagious, actually, as species like the Red-bordered Pixie and Mexican Silverspot, reappear, along with who-knows-what!!!

Spring has definitely sprung, and I have no idea what to expect; but this is the 'Magic Valley'. Only one thing is for sure: whatever the next sixty days may bring, it's guaranteed to beat the pants off beating carpets and cleaning out closets. Come, join us!

 
 

 

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Inside the National Butterfly Center

Hours of Operation

Open 7 Days a Week 
8:00 - 5:00
364 Days / Year

Closed Easter Sunday

Come See Us

National Butterfly Center
3333 Butterfly Park Drive
Mission, TX 78572
956-583-5400
GPS Coordinates:
26.180243 -98.364973

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