Grab a Shovel and Get Growing, It's National Planting Day!
(Mission, TX) – Grab a shovel and get growing becauseSaturday, September 7, is National Planting Day! Established by Keep America Beautiful, this special, volunteer initiative celebrates the value and power of native plant species in restoring ecological balance to the environment while creating greener, more beautiful communities.The National Butterfly Center, in Mission, Texas, is celebrating by inviting everyone to join our staff in planting new beds of native trees and flowers to kick off the fall planting season. For National Planting Day, the entrance fee to the Center will be waived for all who volunteer to labor and learn more about the value of native plants and good gardening practices. Planting will take place from 8:30 am – 10:30am, and all participants will be given their own packet of tropical milkweed seeds to plant at home, as a token of our appreciation.
Proud Partner with the Girl Scouts
The National Butterfly Center is thrilled to present the following programs for Girl Scouts, only.
What could be better than earning badges at the National Butterfly Center, where you never know what you will see! Explore and enjoy wild butterflies, birds of prey, endangered and protected species, and the South Texas specialties that are free to roam, here, where every visit is a unique experience, and each program is designed to provide close encounters with our natural wonders.
DEADLINE for Registration: Online registration for each activity will close TWO WEEKS prior to the date of the scheduled event.
QUESTIONS? Call 956.583.5400, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
We look forward to seeing you!
2023-2024 Events
SURVIVOR: SOUTH TEXAS
Limit: 100 Girl Scouts
Saturday, March 2, 9 AM – 12 PM: Go INTO THE WILD for a new fun patch at the National Butterfly Center, where you will earn your FIRST AID badge for Brownies – Ambassadors, and a whole lot of skills for a confident life outside. From splints and stings, to snakes and sunstroke, there is plenty for girls (and grownups) to learn about outdoor safety and how to handle the hazards you may encounter during a lifetime of adventure.
Fees are listed per level and person. Registration includes your badges, fun patch, supplies, instructional programs from 9AM - 12PM, plus all-day park admission. There is no charge for 2 leaders/troop; parents and siblings pay applicable park admission, only. All participants are invited to pack a lunch and picnic under the palapa.
Space is extremely limited for this awesome experience, and this event will sell out, quickly. Please register online, at least two weeks before the event. For more information call 956.583.5400.
Brownie (1 badge + patch): $25 ea.
Junior (1 badge + patch): $25 ea.
Cadette (1 badge + patch): $25 ea.
Senior (1 badge + patch): $25 ea.
SLEEPOVER UNDER THE STARS
Limit: 50 Girl Scouts
Saturday, April 27: Always a sell-out event, spend the night under the stars at the National Butterfly Center and earn your great OUTDOOR (Camper) & ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP badges, where Brownies – Seniors are invited to participate in our OVERNIGHT event. Camp is anchored by our Metamorphosis Teepee, where you may hold your own midnight council meeting, over hot chocolate and s'mores. Although Daisy troops are not invited to this event, younger siblings attending with their sister(s) earn Buddy Camper; Brownies also earn Outdoor Adventurer; Cadettes earn Night Owl; and Seniors earn Adventure Camper, in this special opportunity to gain skills and spend the night under the south Texas stars.
Fees are listed per level and person. Registrations includes badge(s), s’mores & instructional programs from 6:00PM - 8:00AM.
Food and camping supplies not included.
We have a limited number of tents available for use on a first come, first served basis. Tents must be reserved with registration, by calling the Chrysalis Pavilion.
Space is extremely limited for this awesome experience, and this event will sell out, quickly.
Please register online, at least two weeks before the event so we may endeavor to have badges available for you on the day of the event. For more information call 956.583.5400.
Daisy SIBLING (1 badge): $25 ea.
Brownie (3 badges): $40 ea.
Junior (2 badges): $40 ea.
Cadette (4 badges): $40 ea.
Senior (3 badges): $40 ea.
Space is extremely limited for this awesome experience, and this event will sell out, quickly. Please register online, at least two weeks before the event. For more information call 956.583.5400.
Join the Annual North American Butterfly Count July 21 at the National Butterfly Center
(Mission, TX) Each July, volunteers across the country brave the sweltering summer sun to count butterflies. The data these citizen-conservationists gather provides a valuable, real-time snapshot for scientists, naturalists, and anyone concerned about environmental change, habitat loss, and disappearing or endangered species.
Why Count?
First, the counts are open to everyone, from beginner to expert, and provide community members the opportunity to work for a common cause. During the counts, everyone gains something from the exchange of knowledge and time spent, together, observing these beautiful creatures. Second, these annual counts, in established geographical circles, help scientists capture and document the dynamic nature of butterfly populations. Over long periods of time, patterns may be discovered and inferences drawn that will benefit both humans and wildlife on the ever-changing planet we share.
Hidalgo County District Clerk Staff Donates $3,200 to the National Butterfly Center
(Edinburg, TX) Hidalgo County District Clerk Staff presented a check today totalling $3,200 to the National Butterfly Center as part of their Blues for Bucks Workplace Fundraising Campaign to benefit local charitable organizations.
Located in Mission, Texas, near the Rio Grande River, the National Butterfly Center is committed to connecting people, plants, and the “winged wonders” that pollinate and propagate all the grows around us. The Center showcases live animals and plants, in wild and cultivated settings, with educational exhibits to enhance understanding and appreciation of butterflies in healthy, sustainable ecosystems.
Critter Camp for Kids, This Summer at the National Butterfly Center
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 30 2013
(Mission, TX) Come to Critter Camp this summer, at the National Butterfly Center, in Mission, Texas! Young enthusiasts, ages 6 – 14, are invited to enjoy five weeks of outdoor adventure at this 100-acre preserve in the Lower Rio Grande Valley Wildlife Conservation Corridor, right down the road from Bentsen-RGV State Park. Creepy Crawlers, Plant for Success, Ready, Set, Track! and Survivor South Texas, are some of the themes we will explore in these engaging environmental education programs, with Project WILD-certified instructors.
“From juicy, horned caterpillars to tarantulas and Texas Indigoes, the NBC is home to a remarkable variety of insects, mammals and reptiles,” states Marianna Trevino Wright, executive director of the Center. “We are excited to share this remarkable place—and all its awesome inhabitants—with children in our community. We know their encounters with beautiful butterflies and birds, and creatures like the Unicorn Mantis, Spiny Lizard and Spike, our 100-pound tortoise, will increase their love of the natural world and ignite their passion for conservation!”
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