(Mission, TX) – Preparations are well underway for the 20th Annual Texas Butterfly Festival! Many field trips have already sold out and limited space remains for educational sessions and excursions designed specifically for butterfly enthusiasts of every experience level! Everyone is invited to join in this seasonal celebration of the Rio Grande Valley’s exceptional bounty of butterflies, regardless of age or familiarity with the outdoors.

This year, the festival’s free, open house event, known as Community Day at the National Butterfly Center, will take place on Halloween, Saturday, October 31, from 9am – 2pm. Later in the evening, festival registrants will be treated to a Welcome Reception and Orientation, before they embark on three days of expert-guided field trips to secret gardens and public parks, renowned places and hard-to-find hot spots, from Falcon Dam to South Padre Island. To ensure your seat for these educational sessions, excursions and activities, one must reserve seats in advance at www.TexasButterflyFestival.com.

We’re pulling out all the stops in honor of our 20th anniversary, and plan to recognize the festival’s storied past and boundless future by bringing Mexico to Mission. Our keynote speaker at this year’s awards banquet will be Dr. Cuauhtemoc Saenz Romero, a forester who has dedicated his life’s work to studying the magical oyemal fir forest of Michoacan, where billions of Monarchs congregate to roost communally, each winter. Entertainment will feature the brilliant, all-female Mariachi Mariposa, and the freshest flavors of the Valley will be prepared and served by the talented culinary artists of the Rio Grande Valley Chapter of the Texas Chef’s Association. Guests may also knock out their holiday shopping at our colorful mercado.

It’s hard to mention artistry and color without announcing the North American Butterfly Photo Contest opened for submissions, September 1, and closes September 30. This juried competition accepts entries from amateur and professional photographers and showcases the beauty of wild, free-flying butterflies in a natural setting. One lucky contestant will be awarded a $500 Grande Prix at the banquet, and have their winning image on display at the National Butterfly Center. The complete contest rules and deadlines may be found on the Texas Butterfly Festival website, too.

Join us for the spectacle that is butterfly season in the Rio Grande Valley, and see for yourself why USA Today declares, “Mission, Texas is the butterfly capitol of the USA.” Discover adventure, amidst our natural treasures, and enjoy the thrill of the chase as we add to the list of exquisite species encountered by festival participants over the years. Who knows? You may even log the record first sighting of an exotic, tropical stray, like the Blue-studded Skipper or Zebra Cross-streak!

The 20th Annual Texas Butterfly Festival is the nation’s premier butterflying event, hosted by the National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas. It brings people from all around the world to the Rio Grande Valley, to enjoy the unique volume and variety of wild butterflies that may only be found, here. To learn more about how you may join in the fun, check out the full schedule of free events and paid activities at www.texasbutterflyfestival.com, or call 956.583.5400, today!

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The National Butterfly Center is committed to ‘Growing Connections’ between people, plants, and the winged wonders that pollinate and propagate all that grows around us. We do this through educational and environmental initiatives that cultivate meaningful understanding of the processes that create sustainable ecosystems. The Center is open to the public, for visitors and members, seven days/week.

To learn more about the National Butterfly Center, and how you can join us, visit www.nationalbutterflycenter.org, or call 956.583.5400. Your annual membership or charitable gift impacts the beauty of our community and helps preserve the biologically diverse, natural treasures of deep South Texas.