Posts

Favorable weather delivered an enchanting outing at the Piedra Herrada monarch butterfly sanctuary in the state of Mexico this week. The butterfly abundance seemed to sync with predictions by Monarch Watch founder Chip Taylor that the 2019 season will be … Read More

The votes are in for 2020’s Unofficial Pollinator Plant of the Year, and the winner is…Gregg’s mistflower, Conoclinium greggii. The Texas native perennial with fluffy lavender blooms carried our informal poll when pitted against Frostweed, Verbesina virginica, its lesser known pollinator plant colleague. The … Read More

It’s an election year so we thought it appropriate to ask the community to help us decide which native plant should serve as San Antonio’s Unofficial Pollinator Plant for 2020. The nominees are…Gregg’s mistflower or Frostweed. Which will it be? … Read More

Texans suffer mightily each winter as “cedar fever” hits the region. The mass appearance of billions of pollen granules from the Ashe Juniper tree, Juniperus ashei, known locally as “mountain cedar,” wreaks havoc on the respiratory systems of locals. It … Read More

Way to go, pollinator habitat fans! You rallied to help us surpass our goal of 500 habitats pledged by 2020. As of this writing, the San Antonio-based initiative brags 510 gardens pledged. The effort known as 500 by 2020 and … Read More

After San Antonio exceeded 300for300, its Tricentennial goal of creating three pollinator habitats for its 300th birthday in 2018, the Alamo City moved the pollinator gardening goalpost: 500 gardens by 2020. With three and a half weeks to go until … Read More

The question of what to do with late season butterflies can be problematic. Should we bring them inside or let Nature take her course? The question arises frequently in late fall, when temperatures vacillate wildly. San Antonio saw temperatures span … Read More

Thousands gathered at Pearl in San Antonio to close out the fourth annual Monarch Butterfly and Pollinator Festival on Sunday. The Festival, celebrating pollinators, plants, and the ecosystems that sustain us, featured more than a dozen events, including gardening workshops, movie … Read More

On Sunday, October 20, San Antonio will have a unique opportunity to learn the Waggle Dance, the unique, booty-shaking romp that bees perform for each other to communicate the location of nectar and pollen. Never heard of the Waggle Dance? … Read More

Rodrigo Medellín knows his bat guano. The renowned Mexican mammalogist, credited with saving the Tequila Bat from extinction, has slogged through caves shin-deep in bat poop more times than he can count. Bat caves occupied by millions of bats are … Read More

Natural Wildlife Federation author and naturalist David Mizejewski will appear at the 2019 Monarch Butterfly Festival on Sunday, October 20, to discuss and sign his book, the second edition of Attracting Birds, Butterflies, and other Backyard Wildlife.  Don’t let the title … Read More

National Public Radio’s John Burnett, who’s been covering the border, immigration and migration issues for decades, will join a panel discussion as part of the 2019 Monarch Butterfly and Pollinator Festival. The panel, Butterflies without Borders: migration and immigration in … Read More

SAN ANTONIO — Monarch butterflies have begun their southbound migration in what could be a banner year. The iconic black and orange butterflies will start arriving here in the coming weeks, with peak migration for our latitude slated for October … Read More

Monarch butterfly expert and and AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow Dara Satterfield will visit San Antonio this fall for the 2019 Monarch Butterfly and Pollinator Festival. Satterfield, an authority on insect ecology and migration, will lead a workshop on … Read More

The fourth annual Monarch Butterfly and Pollinator Festival takes flight in San Antonio October 12 – 20, a weeklong celebration of science, citizen science, art, and education. The event unfolds at multiple venues, and includes four educational workshops, two movie screenings, … Read More

Ever wonder why we call them flower “beds”?  Maybe because bees and other insects often hunker down for the evening by tucking into the flowers for a good night’s rest. Candy Roach of San Antonio documented the phenomenon of “sleeping … Read More

In June we posed the question: should we push for 500 pollinator habitats by 2020? The overwhelming community response: “Let’s do this!” An informal two-question poll of 96 community members conducted on various social media platforms resulted in 93 YES … Read More

A new study that suggests monarch butterflies fostered from the wild or cultivated by commercial breeders have trouble migrating and can exhibit unusual genetic traits hit the monarch butterfly community this week. The reaction has been intense. “Boy, you gotta … Read More

The Texas Butterfly Ranch and our community collaborators are proud to present the 2019 Monarch Butterfly and Pollinator Festival, October 12 – 20. Now in its fourth year, the celebration of science, citizen science, art and understanding will take place … Read More

Fans of the evergreen bush known as agarita enjoyed a spectacular season this year, but hot temperatures are bringing agarita season, and the availability of its tart red berries, to an end. The evergreen bush, Mahonia trifoliata, makes itself known … Read More

It’s been a little more than a year since we launched our 300for300 Pollinator Habitat Challenge, a community initiative to encourage pollinator friendly landscaping in San Antonio. In March of 2018, we set out to create 300 pollinator gardens for San … Read More

Recent rains and a campaign to get Cowpen Daisies into area gardens as San Antonio’s “unofficial” pollinator plant of the year appear to have spawned an early crop of Bordered Patch butterfly caterpillars in the Alamo City. A mound of Chlosyne lacinia caterpillars … Read More

Three of 690 commercially bred monarch butterflies tagged and released at San Antonio’s 2018 Monarch Butterfly and Pollinator Festival were recovered in Mexico, citizen science organization Monarch Watch announced this week. Monarch Watch founder Chip Taylor, who oversees the citizen science … Read More

South Texas is seeing an abundance of monarch butterfly caterpillars in recent weeks. Resulting chrysalises and butterflies suggest a robust 2019 monarch butterfly season as a bounty of wildflowers awaits. Monarchs typically leave their overwintering roosts in the Mexican mountains … Read More

Migration studies expert Andy Davis sometimes finds himself at odds with the running narrative of the monarch butterfly migration. Davis, a research scientist in the University of Georgia Odum School of Ecology, specializes in conservation physiology, a developing field that … Read More

No longer the niche interest of gardening geeks, pollinator gardens and native plants are gaining traction–especially in areas of the country prone to long hot summers and drought. Growing awareness of climate change, sustainability issues, and insect decline have encouraged … Read More

Monarch butterflies have begun their multi-generation migration north from Mexico, following a season that counted their largest overwintering population in a decade. Favorable conditions in South Texas suggest we may be in for another great year. Early reports had the … Read More

Like many members of the sunflower family, Cowpen Daisy, Verbesina encelioides, germinates easily from seed. Sometimes called Butter Daisy or Golden Crownbeard, Cowpen Daisy is sometimes included in native seed mixes, but it’s almost impossible to find the seeds for sale on … Read More

Attention citizen gardeners! We need your help in creating demand for an unsung hero of the pollinator garden, Cowpen Daisy, Verbesina encelioides. To get this plant some well-deserved attention, we’re naming it “San Antonio’s unofficial pollinator plant of the year” … Read More

The population of monarch butterflies that overwinter in Mexico has jumped more than 144% over last year, Mexican officials announced today. The butterflies occupied 6.05 hectares (about 15 acres) of the high altitude Mexican forests this year, up from 2.48 hectares (about … Read More

When it comes to the 2019 monarch butterfly population, the numbers suggest catastrophe in California and a rebound in Mexico. On the west coast, the news is dismal. The western population of monarch butterflies, which travel up and down the … Read More

Congratulations, San Antonio!  We rallied in December to hit and surpass our goal of 300 new pollinator habitats for San Antonio’s 300th birthday, finishing the year with 325 gardens pledged. The year-long initiative, launched here at the Texas Butterfly Ranch … Read More

Late November means “slow season” at Flutterby Gardens, a commercial butterfly farm in Bradenton, Florida. But that doesn’t mean Connie Hodsdon can sleep in. Hodsdon has monarch eggs to roll. The pentas, one of her favorite nectar plants, need to … Read More

The New York City-based website Nationswell has produced an 11-minute documentary  featuring the third annual San Antonio Monarch Butterfly and Pollinator Festival at the Pearl with an additional focus on the feared impact of the Trump Administration’s border wall on the … Read More

A community wide pollinator habitat initiative launched in April of this year is only 55 gardens away from reaching its goal of 300 pollinator habitats for San Antonio’s 300th birthday. The grass-roots effort began as a way to satisfy an … Read More

Migrating monarch butterflies finally made it to the Mexican mountains last week–late, but intact. For months, scientists and citizen scientists have been predicting the largest migration in a decade, but the insects have taken their time arriving at their winter … Read More

A crowd of thousands at San Antonio’s third annual Monarch Butterfly and Pollinator Festival pushed the city’s community wide pollinator gardening initiative into its home stretch this week. Our friends at MP Studio worked the October 21 Festival and collected … Read More

Mother Nature took a short break from the rainiest autumn in memory to celebrate the third annual Monarch Butterfly and Pollinator Festival on Sunday. The three-day Festival rallied as the clouds parted, the sun shone and temperatures hovered in the … Read More

Forest ecologist and National Wildlife Federation Monarch Outreach Coordinator Rebeca Quiñonez-Piñòn will trek from Austin to San Antonio October 19 to participate as a panelist in Butterflies without Borders: the Monarch Migration and our Changing Climate. The event will be presented … Read More

For Carey Gillam, it all started in Kansas City in 1998 with farmers, an herbicide, genetically modified crops, and the agriculture giant that created them: Monsanto. Author and investigative journalist Gillam had been working for financial wire services Thomson Financial … Read More

Never in a million years could Marianna Treviño Wright imagine herself center stage in a lawsuit against the federal government. But that’s where the executive director of the National Butterfly Center (NBC) finds herself today. Treviño-Wright was conducting her normal … Read More

The 300for300 Pollinator Garden Initiative, our community wide effort to plant 300 new pollinator gardens for San Antonio’s Tricentennial year reached, 150 sign-ups this week. That means we’re halfway to our goal of 300, with about three weeks to our … Read More

The growing popularity of raising monarch butterflies at home has sparked a contentious debate among citizen scientists, professional academics, and butterfly enthusiasts. Scientists and citizen scientists have expressed concerns about the legions of amateurs who are breeding large numbers of … Read More

The 2018 monarch butterfly migration is off to a great start. Members of the DPLEX, an email listserv and online community that includes hundreds of monarch butterfly aficionados throughout Canada and the U.S., have begun the annual frenetic email exchange launched by … Read More

The sensory overload of walking into a forest that holds a billion Monarchs. That’s what biologist Karen Oberhauser, Ph.D, remembers most vividly from her first trip to the monarch butterfly roosting sites in the Mexican mountains more than 20 years … Read More

The third annual Monarch Butterfly and Pollinator Festival, three-days of science, art, education and celebration, will take place October 19 -21 in San Antonio at the Pearl. The mission of the Festival is to raise awareness and appreciation of insect … Read More

Great job, San Antonio! Our 300for300 pollinator habitat initiative continues to pick up steam, with a dozen habitats pledged in the last two weeks. Check out the beautiful photos in this post of Candy Roach’s newly installed pollinator habitat in … Read More

Monarch butterflies will be moving through the Texas Funnel soon, but in the meantime, another orange-and-black butterfly has arrived in droves. The American Snout butterfly, Libytheana carinenta, has been moving up the IH-35 pollinator corridor, clogging windshields and car grills along the way. … Read More

A State investigation is underway at a bat cave near Mason, Texas, after the spraying of pesticides by the neighboring exotic game ranch wafted onto the nature preserve, threatening harm to visitors and the 1.6 million Mexican free-tailed bats that visit there each … Read More

In April, the Texas Butterfly Ranch announced a plan to create 300 new pollinator garden habitats for San Antonio’s 300th birthday. Since, we’ve been working with community collaborators to reach our 300 garden goal in this Tricentennial year by October … Read More

A public hearing at the Texas State Capitol on Wednesday brought together dozens of experts and legislators to discuss the declining monarch butterfly and bee populations in the state. Agriculture, tourism, recreation and hunting all rely on the free ecosystem … Read More

Front yard struck by high temperatures and a lack of rain? Grass looking a little dead? Perhaps you should consider solarization, an easy, chemical-free method that can convert water-guzzling grass to a glorious butterfly garden. Solarization offers a low-cost, low … Read More

Monarch butterfly and forestry scientists, a litigant in the border wall dispute, and an activist journalist who has taken Monsanto to task will gather to discuss the future of the Americas’ most iconic insect October 19 at Butterflies without Borders: … Read More

Gifted and talented teacher Chéri Tondre floats between four different elementary school campuses in the San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) each week. Beacon Hill, Martin Luther King Academy, Hirsch and Collins Garden Elementary all share the energetic teacher’s time. … Read More

We’ve been working with our community collaborators to execute San Antonio’s 300for300 pollinator habitat initiative, announced earlier this spring. And yes, we’re a little behind–but then a garden is a process, not a project, right? So far, 48 pollinator gardeners … Read More

MARION, IOWA–Hundreds of fourth and fifth instar monarch caterpillars have replaced prize-winning show horses as the preferred livestock at Clearwater Farm in Linn County, Iowa. The hungry creatures nosh on common milkweed in a mesh enclosure inside the barn’s lab … Read More

LAWRENCE, KANSAS — Carol Rooker and Marilyn Harnisch drove in from Baldwin just 12 miles away to attend the Monarch Watch Annual Spring Open House and Fundraiser Plant Sale on Saturday. The women are Master Gardeners and overseeing a pollinator … Read More

Five out of 720 commercially reared monarch butterflies tagged and released at our 2017 Monarch Butterfly and Pollinator Festival in San Antonio were recovered in Mexico, citizen science organization Monarch Watch announced this week. The five tags constitute 0.54% of … Read More

SAN ANTONIO — The Alamo City celebrates its Tricentennial birthday this year and the Texas Butterfly Ranch is comemmorating the occasion by working with our favorite community collaborators to plant 300 pollinator habitats in honor of San Antonio’s 300th birthday. … Read More

Planning a pollinator garden? Here’s some times on how to do it.… Read More

Climate change and a copper mine challenge a smaller monarch butterfly migration… Read More

Migrating bats arriving two weeks early to Texas from Mexico. … Read More

San Antonio Monarch Fest happens this weekend at the San Antonio Zoo.… Read More

A recycled love letter to our favorite insect: Monarch butterfly, how do we love thee?… Read More

Sounds of nature: Monarch butterflies’ symphony of wings now available from Mexico via live stream.… Read More

At war with Agave americana: a tenacious plant that forms gnarly colonies when not managed properly.… Read More

The truth about seed balls: they don’t always germinate, but they engage people on many levels. Plus, they’re fun to make.… Read More

Here comes the Solstice and that means it’s a great time to make wildflower seed balls for next year’s wildflower meadow. Here’s how to do it.… Read More

A dreamy sojourn to the Monarch butterfly roosting sites in Mexico ends with a dog bite, rabies shots, and credit card fraud. … Read More

Monarch butterfly guru Dr. Karen OBerhauser will be in San Antonio to share the state of the union of the Monarch migration Tuesday, November 7. … Read More

The Texas Butterfly Ranch’s 2017 Monarch Butterfly and Pollinator Festival Soars in San Antonio… Read More

Early clusters of Monarch butterflies arrive in the Texas Hill Country in what looks to be a spectacular 2017 migration season.… Read More

Happy Equinox, ya’ll. Monarch butterflies heading our way, respond to cues from sun.… Read More

Move over Monarch butterflies! The Painted ladies are coming!… Read More

Monarch butterfly conservation rock stars Chip Taylor of Monarch Watch and Elizabeth Howard of Journey North will join a “Butterflies without Borders” panel discussion on the Monarch Butterfly Migration and Our Changing Climate in San Antonio. … Read More

Stands of flowering milkweed and late summer flowers await migrating Monarch butterflies in the Texas Hill Country this season. The iconic black and orange butterflies are projected to arrive here in about six weeks. Every year around Labor Day, we … Read More

Milkweeds and nectar plants ready in Michigan as Monarch butterflies start their migration … Read More

Dust off your wings and save the dates: the 2017 Monarch Butterfly and Pollinator Festival in San Antonio will take flight Friday – Sunday, October 20 – 22, 2017, celebrating the magic and majesty of the Monarch butterfly migration. For … Read More

If I ever pulled up to our Llano River ranch road to find a work crew, heavy machinery, pink flagged survey stakes, and trees slashed to the ground, I’d likely grab my husband’s shotgun. But Marianna Treviño Wright, director of … Read More

Online petition spurs reinstatement of park ranger patrols at Monarch butterfly roosting sites in Mexico.… Read More

David Steinbrunner remembers the exact moment he decided to go organic. The Texas A&M University football quarterback and horticulture major and a fellow student were tasked with tending the campus pecan orchard in 1979. Their assignment: spray the trees for … Read More

They said it couldn’t be done. That a commercially raised Monarch butterfly couldn’t migrate. But Jenny Singleton of the Grapevine Butterfly Flutterby Festival and one commercially grown Monarch proved that a butterfly tagged and released in Texas can find its way … Read More

High winds took out our gnarly pecan tree this week. WE will miss its service.… Read More

Pollinators and politics center stage at 2017 Texas Pollinator Pollinator PowWow in Nacogdoches … Read More

Cowpen Daisy, Verbesina encelioides, goes on the Texas Butterfly Ranch Favorite Species List (FSL). This plant is a rock star. It starts blooming in March and continues through November. Keep deadheading, and Cowpen Daisy puts out prolific blooms, abundant seeds, and … Read More

Monarch butterflies and milkweed. We’ve explored the subject many times right here at the Texas Butterfly Ranch. But author Anurag Agrawal’s recently published Monarchs and Milkweed, A Migrating Butterfly, a Poisonous Plant, and their Remarkable Story of Co-evolution adds a new dimension … Read More

Stressed Monarch butterflies head our way as Mexican scientists try to move their overwintering forest.… Read More

Monarch butterfly Valentine. How do we love thee? Let us count the ways.… Read More

Officials in Mexico announced Wednesday that the population of migrating Monarch butterflies dropped 27% this season, marking a setback in two consecutive years of growth from the historic low of 2014. A freak sleet storm gets the blame. Just last year, … Read More

Want to see changes in Monarch butterfly and pollinator advocacy in your city? Give elected officials some milkweed and a Monarch caterpillar.… Read More

What to do with late season butterflies when the weather turns cold.… Read More

Frostweed earns its name as first frost turns rock star nectar plant into ice crystal artist.… Read More

Contrarian Dr. Anurag Agrawal dared to suggest that the focus on milkweed in Monarch butterfly conservation might be misplaced.… Read More

Climate change and the Monarch butterfly migration tackles tough questions with Dr. Katharine Hayhoe and citizen scientists… Read More

What is the future of pollinator advocacy under a Trump administration?… Read More

San Antonio’s first Monarch Butterfly and Pollinator Festival a roaring success… Read More

Monarch butterflies stalled on Llano River by wind gusts from the south.… Read More

Can’t get outside? Here’s some cool tools to track the Monarch butterfly migration from your desk.… Read More

Monarch butterfly tagged in Oklahoma netted in the Texas Hill Country 350 miles away… Read More

Climate change expert Dr. Katherine Hayhoe at Texas Tribune Festival: “Leave the science behind” when convince people to combat climate change… Read More

McAllen, Texas follows San Antonio to become second National Wildlife Federation Monarch butterfly Champion City… Read More

No, they’re not Monarchs. Invasion of snout #butterflies returns to Texas.… Read More

Llano River: late season nectar plants await Monarch butterfly migration in Texas in what is expected to be a down year… Read More

Monarch butterflies heading our way but not as many as we’d hoped to see. … Read More

How aphids SUCK the life out of your milkweed and what you can do to get rid of them… Read More

Monarch butterflies are the most famous feeders of milkweed, but these OTHER caterpillars are also fans.… Read More

Save the date for San Antonio’s Monarch Butterfly and Pollinator Festival Oct. 21 – 22, 2016… Read More

$500K to Texas A&M and Sam Houston State University to study Monarch butterflies, thanks to Texas State Comptroller’s Office… Read More

USFWS gets three more years to evaluate Monarch butterfly ESA status.… Read More

Obama and Presidents of Mexico, Canada meet to talk clean energy, climate change and Monarch butterflies.… Read More

Texas brakes for butterflies: Fasten your seatbelt for the Monarch Highway coming to IH35… Read More

Trinity students help combat Johnson grass on the Llano River in the Texas Hill Country.… Read More

Grupo Mexico trying to reopen copper mine in pristine forest that is home to the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Preserve.… Read More

It’s not just about the milkweed: new study says nectar plants may be more important in helping save the Monarch butterfly migration.… Read More

And the winner of our 2016 Fiesta San Antonio #butterfly medal is…… Read More

San Antonio goes butterfly crazy with 2016 Fiesta medals. Vote for your favorite!… Read More

Scientists continue to assess the mortality rate of Monarch butterflies in the aftermath of a freak winter storm at their roosting sites in Mexico.… Read More

Freak freeze in Mexico kills roosting Monarch butterflies just as they’re getting ready to migrate north.… Read More

Friendly Red Admiral butterflies on the move in South Texas.… Read More

Good news! Monarch butterfly population triples!… Read More

San Antonio Zoo hosts first Monarch (butterfly) Fest March 4 – 6… Read More

Planning your 2016 pollinator and butterfly garden? HEre’s tips on how to do it.… Read More

Guest post: Commercial butterfly breeders, under siege, say industry has esgted interest in raising OE-free butterflies… Read More

Lawsuit threat on ESA Monarch butterfly listing turns up heat on commercial butterfly breeders… Read More

Texas State Comptroller’s office gives update on Monarch butterfly research, endangered species listing… Read More

San Antonio, Monarch Butterfly Champion: Mayor’s Pledge “NOT just talk,” will change policy… Read More

It’s time to harvest seeds and make seedballs to increase next year’s wildflower bounty.… Read More

Official guidance from scientists about what to do regarding late season milkweed is confusing gardeners.… Read More

Late season Monarch butterflies beg lots of questions about best practices for pollinator gardening.… Read More

Mighty Monarch butterfly migration braves strong winds, redirects, Hurricane Patricia to arrive in Mexico… Read More

Journey North founder Elizabeth Howard talks technology, citizen science and mass butterfly releases.… Read More

Wondering how to tag a Monarch butterfly? Here’s how to do it in six easy steps.… Read More

Butterfly FAQ: How to move a Monarch butterfly chrysalis. … Read More

Q & A with Catalina Trail, founder of the Monarch butterfly roosting sites.… Read More

Monarch butterflies heading our way in what could be a banner year for the migrating insects… Read More

Monarch butterfly migration likely to be robust thanks to rain, fertile egg laying in the Midwest and raised public awareness.… Read More

A release of 93 Monarch butterflies was the perfect gesture to honor my late father’s life. … Read More

Here’s five fine Texas moths that will help you enjoy moth week all year round.… Read More

Lotsa MOTH-ers, fewer moths, and funds raised for Friends of San Antonio Natural Areas at first official Moth Night San Antonio.… Read More

Q&A with National Moth Week Spokesmoth Manduca Sexta: Moths Don’t Get no Respect… Read More

San ANtonio’s UTSA receives $300K grant to study Monarch butterflies and native Texas milkweeds.… Read More

July 23: Join us at the Alamo Brewery for Malt, Hops and Moths, in San Antonio, a celebration in honor of National Moth Week… Read More

Trinity University students make war on Johnson grass on the Llano River in the Texas Hill Country.… Read More

IH35 to become pollinator corridor for Bees, Monarch butterflies and other pollinators.… Read More

Eastern Black Swallowtails are everywhere this season: here’s how to raise them at home.
… Read More

Debate continues: Tropical milkweed Ok for Monarch butterflies, “just cut the dang stuff down.”… Read More

Thanks, El Niño. Cooperative weather makes for milkweed buffet along Llano River for Monarchs and other butterflies.… Read More

My Mariposario: Family makes multi generation migration to downtown San Antonio.… Read More

Here they come! Monarch butterflies arriving in Texas just as milkweeds start to sprout.… Read More

Wildflowers and milkweeds running late for migrating Monarchs and other pollinators. A late-but-banner wildflower season in store.… Read More

Marine biologist develops app to track Monarch butterflies on oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.… Read More

Wildly successful Texas Pollinator PowWow sings the praises of birds, bats, beetles, butterflies in Austin.… Read More

Mega grower Color Spot Nursery is considering growing clean, chemical free milkweeds for Monarch butterfly fans.… Read More

Q&A with Dr. Lincoln Brower on Bioethics, Endangered Species, Monarch Butterflies and milkweed… Read More

Survey: Monarch butterfly fans say they will pay MORE for chemical free milkweeds to feed hungry caterpillars.… Read More

Good news, bad news of Monarch butterfly numbers. Still dangerously low, but milkweed awareness is at an alltime high.… Read More

Monsanto says they are “absolutely committed” to Monarch butterfly conservation.… Read More

Q&A: Butterfly Breeder Edith Smith talks about Monarchs possible listing as threatened under the Endangered Species Act and more… Read More

Monarch butterfly moves closer to threatened status under the Endangered Species Act. Comment period begins tomorrow.… Read More

Texas Butterfly Ranch’s top posts of 2014–from worst year for Monarch butterflies to a rebound and increased awareness of pollinator crisis.… Read More

Texas Parks and Wildlife launches a crowdsourced milkweed monitoring project for the Lone Star State.… Read More

Graduate student Dara Satterfield caused quite a flutter recently when she was featured in the New York Times as the co-author of a study looking at how Tropical milkweed, Asclepias curassavica, may be effecting the health of Monarch butterflies and … Read More

When it comes to Monarch butterflies, OE is not OK. The nasty spore can debilitate the migrating creatures.… Read More

Endangered Species Act-wrong tool for the job of conserving the Monarch butterfly migration?… Read More

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Monarch butterflies clustered along the Llano River this weekend, clinging to pecan tree branches as strong winds from the south kept them in place, temporarily halting their journey south toward Mexico and making easy work for … Read More

Lonely caterpillar on the LLano, Butterfly cloud in St. Louis–the Monarch butterfly migration kicks into full swing.… Read More

It takes a village: friends and family collaborate to hustle milkweed for dozens of hungry Monarch caterpillars.… Read More

We’re hearing positive reports from further north about the Monarch butterfly migration. Masses of Monarchs look to be in the Midwest right now, according to dispatches from the DPLEX list, the Monarch butterfly listserv that reaches hundreds of butterfly enthusiasts, … Read More

Can’t get outside to observe the Monarch butterfly migration in person? No worries. Use these online tools to track the migration from your desk.… Read More

The Monarch butterfly migration began in mid August. The progeny of butterflies that left the forests of Mexico in March have reproduced several times on their multi-generational journey north to Canada, and are now turning their attention south, as they … Read More

Email lists have been filled with optimistic reports on the Monarch migration in recent weeks. We’re feeling hopeful of a rebound. Folks from Canada to Pennsylvania sang a buoyant chorus:  more butterflies than last year.  Of course, it’s all relative: … Read More

Pollinator power: CPS Energy transforms garden plot to pollinator habitat on the San Antonio River Walk.… Read More

Monarch butterfly migration in 2014: Another worst year in history or hopeful rebound:… Read More

Happy Moth Week! Here’s four fine moths that will turn your head in Texas.… Read More

Eastern Swallowtails butterflies are common this time of year. Here’s how to raise them at home. … Read More

Pollinator week, Summer Solstice and some hopeful news for Monarch butterflies this week.… Read More

Celebrate National Pollinator Week by signing the petition, planting flowers and deadheading. … Read More

Not the Memorial Day weekend we were planning: massive rain dumps 9.5 inches on Llano River. Thanks, climate change!… Read More

Genista moth caterpillars are back at it on the Llano River: noshing on our Mountain Laurels… Read More

Climate change will call for resilience and adaptability from gardeners, plants and insects.… Read More

Mexican team begins year-long project to document Monarch butterfly migration through video… Read More

Monarch butterfly caterpillars aren’t as picky as we thought–turns out they’ll eat squash and cucumbers!… Read More

First Lady Michelle Obama Gets Milkweed at the White House Garden. Sweeet! http://wp.me/p2fP0i-28Z… Read More

Almost 200 Gather for Historic Rendezvous of Monarch Butterfly Roosting Site Founders… Read More

Here they come! Monarch butterflies are heading our way on their multigenerational journey north, desperately seeking milkweed so they can lay their eggs… Read More

Austin Butterlfy Forum to host historic gathering of four Monarch butterfly pioneers who discovered and share the news of the ancestral roosting sites in Mexico.… Read More

Plant milkweed, sign our petition to get it planted at the White House and help save the Monarch Migration.… Read More

More than 150 gastronauts explored the taste of entomophagy in Austin last week–the consumption of insects as food.… Read More

NAFTA presidents, Monsanto: let’s save the Monarch butterfly migration. Yes, please!… Read More

The three presidents of North America are meeting 75 miles from the Monarch butterfly roosting sites this week. Will the discuss ways to save the migration?… Read More

Pollinator devastation: rapid, severe Monarch butterfly migration decline a wake-up call … Read More

YUM! Bug eating soiree in Austin aims to raise entomophagy awareness. Crickets are good for you!… Read More

INsects are perfectly edible and consumed in all parts of the globe. Why do we find the practice of entomophagy so disgusting?… Read More

Top posts of 2013 include the decline of the Monarch butterfly migraiton, how to raise Monarchs and move chrysalises, and a few stories about moths… Read More

Celebrate the winter solstice and help next year’s wildflowers by making seedballs this Saturday.… Read More

Crazy weather makes for a nectar emergency when late season butterflies hatch and it’s too cold to release them. What to do?… Read More

Only three million Monarch butterflies made it to Mexico this year–dow from 450 million in our best years and 60 million last year. Some describe it as the “collapse” of the Monarch butterfly migration.… Read More

Dr. Chip Taylor told commercial butterfly breeders that the Monarch butterfly roosting sites this year will only occupy 1.25 acres in Mexico–down from an average of 22 acres. … Read More

Want to learn how to raise butterflies? Join us at the IBBA/AFB butterfly breeders conference. Dr. Chip Taylor of Monarch Watch will speak.… Read More

No Monarchs on the Llano River this weekend. A disappointing end to a dreary season.… Read More

San Antonio butterfly buffs: joins us at the Rivard Report’s Something Monday event, How to Tag a Monarch butterfly… Read More

Migration update: Thunderstorms on Llano River stall Early Pulse of Monarch Butterflies… Read More

Not many Monarch butterflies flying on the Llano River this weekend, but it was a caterpillar-palooza in the milkweed.… Read More

Don’t miss a (butterfly) beat! Here’s how to track the Monarch butterfly migration from your desk. … Read More

Fall Equinox today kicks off what looks to be a meager Monarch butterfly migration. But they might surprise us. … Read More

Caterpillar cannibalism update: Monarch caterpillars eat sister chrysalises, eggs and caterpillars for lunch in photos by Shady Oak Butterfly Farm.… Read More

In a case of caterpillar cannibalism, a Monarch butterfly caterpillar eats a Monarch egg for lunch. Plus: Llano River update.… Read More

Sometimes a blackhead is a good thing–when it signals the imminent hatching of a Monarch butterfly caterpillar, for example.… Read More

Are you a lepster? A butterflyer? Yo soy mariposista, and we all advocate for butterflies. … Read More

First of Season Monarchs spotted this weekend on the Llano River in a year that may be the worst in history for their migration. Thanks, drought. … Read More

Massive mariposario / butterfly house aims to make Huatulco, Mexico a Butterfly Destination… Read More

Blue morphos, Black Witch moths and so much more–a butterfly trip to Huatulco Mexico results in a butterfly bonanza… Read More

Hannibal Lechter would be thrilled: the large, batlike and harmless Black Witch moth is back in South Texas.… Read More

Caterpillar quiz: can you tell the difference between a Monarch butterfly and Eastern Swallowtail butterfly caterpillar? Here’s how.… Read More

Florida Butterfly Farmer Edith Smith generously shares her wisdom and keeps the business in the family at Shady Oak Butterfly Farm… Read More

Epic technology PLUS epic migration journey EQUALS Monarch Butterfly Google Earth Tour.… Read More

Ever had “squish remorse”? For this butterfly evangelist, squishing hundreds of genista moth larvae on Mountain Laurels created a caterpillar quandary.… Read More

Last year about this time, we detailed a turf-to-bed conversion in the front yard of our rent house in the downtown Lavaca neighborhood of San Antonio.  We thought it would be helpful to share what happened over the past year … Read More

Our first Milkweed Guide posted back in the fall of 2010 and has continued to be one of our most-read blogposts.   With spring here and butterfly gardeners chomping at the bit to create host and nectar habitat for Monarchs … Read More

Last week’s post on raising Monarch butterflies at home sparked a a slew of questions, comments and emails.   I figured I’d better get back here and clarify a few things. First, I left out the part about what to … Read More

Butterfly FAQ: How to Raise Monarch butterflies at home. Grab those eggs, cultivate that milkweed and get ready to foster some caterpillars. Here’s how to do it.… Read More

Are these insects resilient or what? A Monarch tagged with Dr. Lincoln Brower in the drought of 2011 in the Texas Hill Country was recently recovered in Michoacan and reported to Monarch Watch.… Read More

My first day of earnest butterfly gardening of 2013 met with a sweet surprise:  my FOS (First of Season) Monarch butterfly, Sunday, March 17. And, it was a faded female, fluttering in my mulched front yard garden, lighting from one … Read More

Native American Seed Company is on a mission to restore the earth, one native seed at a time. The 300-acre spread about 115 miles west of San Antonio on the banks of the Llano River just northeast of Junction, Texas, boasts 75 … Read More

Our friends at Native American Seed have been working for years on the best way to get persnickety Texas native milkweed seeds to germinate.   “Native milkweeds simply don’t do well in containers,” said George Cates, seed wrangler at the … Read More

Planning your butterfly garden? To plant Tropical milkweed to attract Monarch butterflies or not, is not a simple quesiton.… Read More

In a remarkable display of symbiosis, the video below shows how nature’s systems work together. A certain brand of  “friendly ant” slurps sugar syrup excreted from the body of a Lycaenid caterpillar.    When predatory ants (Fireants?  Hard to say.) … Read More

Tales of a Butterfly Evangelist: Check out my TEDx San Antonio Talk on the magnificent Monarch butterfly migration. … Read More

Crazy chrysalises: if you bring in a caterpillar or chrysalis from the cold, be prepared to find the chrysalis in unlikely places. Monarch caterpillar … Read More

Congratulations, 2012! How does it feel to be the hottest year on record? And what does it mean for Monarchs and other migrating butterflies?… Read More

Top posts … Read More

Will the world end Friday? Nah. We’re celebrating the 2012 solstice by making seedballs to help make next year a banner wildflower year. Read on for our Seedball Recipe that includes a secret ingredient that deters birds and bugs.… Read More

First frost often means the end of the season for butterflies, and a new beginning for butterfly magnet plant, Frostweed, which forms intriguing ice sculputres. And: should you bring a late season caterpillar inside? Hmmm.… Read More

Queen and Monarch butterflies look similar and use milkweed as a host plant. Here’s some tips on how to tell the difference in the caterpillars, butterflies, even the chrysalises, as the continue to show up in South Texas this fall.… Read More

The new 3D IMAX movie, Flight of the Butterflies, suits seniors, kids and all of us inbetween with its spectacular cinematography, compelling narrative and brief 44-minute duration. It makes the perfect holiday treat.… Read More

Will Monarch butterflies become the “poster species” of climate change? They’re getting alot of press lately with their own 3-D IMAX film, a novel by Barbara Kingsolver, and companies like Southwest Airlines pouncing on PR opportunities that showcase the plight of the Monarch butterfly migration.… Read More

It takes a village: Butterfly Lady Maraleen Manos-Jones arranges for late bloomer Monarch butterfly to get free ride from New York State to San Antonio via Southwest Airlines to facilitate arrival at roosting grounds in Mexico. … Read More

Monarch butterflies on the Llano River were stymied in their migration as south winds kept them in place, holding tight onto pecan tree branches.… Read More

Chasing Monarchs on the Llano River with Dr. Chip Taylor, founder of Monarch Watch, offers the champion for Monarch butterflies and the ecosystems that sustain them a lesson in the ways of the Texas Hill Country.… Read More

The 3D movie “Flight of the Butterflies,” just released, may provide the best chance to see the Monarch butterfly migration in Texas this year, as butterfly followers brace for what may be the worst year number wise since records on the Monarch migration have been kept.… Read More

A challenging year for the Monarch Butterfly migration gets even worse on the Llano River as dropped water tables and lack of or ill-timed rains kill the usual nectar sources that fuel the insects on the annual migration. Could this be the worst year in Monarch butterfly migration history?… Read More

Ever wonder how to tag a Monarch butterfly? Here’s how to do it in six easy steps.… Read More

Monarch butterflies are on their way, and just leaving Canada. Check out these online tools and resources for tracking the migration from the comfort of your desk.… Read More

Monarch butterflies get a break in Mexico as illegal logging seems to be under control. But in the U.S., they face drought, climate change, wildfires and now, aerial insect ides being sprayed in Dallas to combat West Nile virus carried by mosquitos. … Read More

Queen butterflies are back in town. That means Monarch butterflies will be passing through soon. Can you tell the difference between these closely related species? Here’s some tips to help you distinguish between the two.… Read More

Want to win the lottery? Perhaps you should entice a Black Witch Moth to roost above your doorstep. Folk wisdom on these bat-like Moths ranges from considering them a harbinger of death to an omen of good luck and future riches.… Read More

It’s National Moth Week! The night flying critters are finally getting some respect. Moth Party, anyone?… Read More

Sunflowers, great for the butterfly garden, are prolific with flowers and later seeds. Yours are probably hanging their heads by now. Here’s how to harvest the sunflower seeds for your bird feeder, a protein-rich snack, or to plant next year.… Read More

One of the founders of the Monarch butterfly roosting spots in Michoacan, Mexico lives a quite life in Austin, Texas. The story of Catalina Trail, a soft-spoken woman that Monarch butterfly history has overlooked.… Read More

For a fun nature getaway, check out Alamo, Texas. The small town sits in the center of the Rio Grande Valley and makes a perfect base for exploring the bird and butterfly hotspots of South Texas.… Read More

Happy Pollinators week! Don’t squish that tomato hornworm–she turns into the magnificent Sphinx Moth, which pollinates various flowers, including the Agave plant.… Read More

Gather milkweed seeds now! It’s a good time to gather milkweed seeds for future butterfly gardens. If you transplant milkweed seedlings in this summer heat, be sure to give them some shade and lots of water–Tropical milkweed can’t take the brutal Texas heat. … Read More

Snout butterflies have invaded South Texas en masse and may show up in Austin and San Antonio soon. Don’t wash your car til its over. And remember to “brake for the butterflies.”… Read More

Relay the story of the magnificent Monarch butterfly migration in six minutes and 40 seconds? Impossible? Nah. We did it at Pecha Kucha Night San Antonio, using the migration itself as a springboard for inspiration. Watch the video.… Read More

The “common” Painted Lady butterfly is providing some not-so-commn insight in a study that aims to refine the flight machinations of micro aerial devices–MAVS. The tiny robotic flight machines will be used in reconnaissance, search and destroy and military missions.… Read More

The Lone Star state and a perfect storm of weather circumstances get credit for the 2012 banner butterfly year, says Dr. Chip Taylor of Monarch Watch.… Read More

Beetlemania busts out at the San Antonio River Museum Reach Milkweed Patch. Harmless to humans, red-and-black milkweed beetles have overtaken the celebrated Milkweed Patch normally occupied by Monarch caterpillars and butterflies.… Read More

Fiesta fatigue? Do like me and head for the hills–the Wings Over the Hills Nature Festival, that is. It takes place in Fredericksburg this weekend. I’ll be talking Monarch butterflies, but there will be bats, birds, dragonflies, a raptor show and star party. Hope to see you there.… Read More

Largest Katydid on the planet (and the loudest) will appear at the first annual Insecta Fiesta this Saturday at the Brackenridge Field Labs. Also: live butterfly house, insect petting zoo, cockroach tractor pull and cricket spitting contest. It’s FREE, hope to see you there.… Read More

Voracious Monarch butterfly caterpillars create milkweed emergencies throughout Texas. You can seek out pesticide free milkweed from local nurseries or better yet, GYO (grow your own).… Read More

How do caterpillars move? They go with their gut. Literally. Amusing VIDEO of Tobacco Hornworm caterpillar doing his gut-slide dance.… Read More

Everyone’s early this year. Wildflowers, birds, bats, butterflies and moth are all making an early appearance. Is it the wet winter or milder temperatures causing the advanced timing?… Read More