Perhaps no insect in the state of Texas is as beloved as its butterflies. They’re so loved that, of all the creepy-crawlies in Texas, the state legislature adopted the monarch butterfly as the official state insect in 1995. But the state hosts more than just the regal monarch—the colorful, nectar-sipping insects are found throughout the Lone Star State, flitting between wildflowers at state parks and along highways, beautifying private gardens, and delighting spectators.
Butterflies are one of the areas, in fact, where Texas excels: Over 442 species of butterflies have been recorded here, making it the most diverse state for butterflies in the nation, says Mike Quinn, a freelance entomologist who works with the University of Texas’ department of entomology. (Arizona, a distant second, manages only 325 species; California, a mere 250.) He says there are more species of butterflies recorded in three counties of South Texas—Cameron, Hidalgo, and Starr—than there are in the entire eastern North America.
According to Jeffrey Glassberg, president of the North American Butterfly Association, Texas owes its preeminent butterfly diversity to the fact that the state straddles a massive number of habitats. The state has moist forests in the east, dry desert landscapes to the west, flower-filled prairies in the north and center, and subtropical scrublands to the south. The outer limits of different butterfly species from around the country intersect in Texas. “When you add that up that’s a lot of butterflies,” he says.
That’s a lot of opportunity to see them, too. Here’s what you need to know to get started.
What do I need to watch butterflies?
The sheer number of species to be found in the state makes a good field guide a necessity. (The Butterflies through Binoculars series or the out-of-print Butterflies of Texas are good for newcomers.) Beyond that, however, optical equipment is largely optional. Quinn says one of the benefits of butterfly watching is that unlike birds, whose nervousness about humans means that binoculars are often a requirement, butterflies are relatively unconcerned with human presence and easy to examine without equipment. “You can talk about them from just a few feet away without scaring them off,” he says. However, the finer details and intricate colors of butterflies reward closer examination, which is why serious butterfly enthusiasts tend to invest in scopes or binoculars that can zoom in tightly.
When and where should I look for butterflies?
Anywhere in Texas that has abundant native flowers will have its share of butterfly species, according to Glassberg. You don’t necessarily have to travel any further than your nearest state park (or a well-planted pollinator garden at a botanical garden). But if you do want to maximize your chances, head to the Rio Grande Valley, a region that can lay claim to being the butterfly capital of a very butterfly-rich state.
“South Texas is a great place if you’re a serious butterfly person—even if you’re not—because you never know what’s gonna show up,” Glassberg says. That’s one reason the National Butterfly Center is in Mission, and not elsewhere in the country.
Butterflies are generally dormant during the depths of winter, but otherwise are active year-round in the state, particularly in the subtropical climate of South Texas. They’re most active in spring and fall, Quinn adds, as moderate temperatures and increased rainfall encourages increased plant growth and nectar production.
“Fall is actually the best time,” he says. “In October, a lot of strays come up as far as North Texas from Mexico and South Texas.”
Wait, do butterflies migrate?
A few species—such as the famous monarch and a few of its relatives, like morning cloaks—do indeed make long journeys to wintering grounds in Central America, Glassberg says. These migrations occasionally come through the Rio Grande Valley in Mission, he says, but more often cross over to the west, around Eagle Pass. Such crossings can be incredibly dramatic. One October in the 1990s, Glassberg drove to Mission from Roma.
“Millions of butterflies of all sorts were streaming south—monarchs, queens, clouded sulphurs, all sorts of things,” he says. “I would stop and count the number of butterflies that would come by per minute, and I did that many times along this [nearly] 60-mile stretch, then calculated how many would come across during the whole day. The calculation was more than 500 million.”
According to Glassberg, most butterflies that travel large distances don’t rely wholly on the beating of their tiny wings. In spring, millions of the common painted lady stream up into Texas out of Mexico. Elsewhere in the world, the painted ladies return south by flying high enough into the atmosphere that high south-bound winds blow them hundreds of miles with little effort; the same thing likely happens in North America.
Generally, though, most butterfly species don’t actually migrate large distances, he says, but their populations can boom with the right environmental conditions. The American snouts in South Texas, he uses as an example, can literally darken the sky after plentiful rains, to the point where highways have had to close because the mortality of butterflies was enough to slick the road.
What species should I keep an eye out for?
Fall occasionally brings the grand orange, white, and black-winged monarch through Central Texas, sometimes in considerable numbers. But butterfly watching goes considerably beyond monarchs. If you’re in Northeast Texas, Glassberg says, keep an eye out for Bell’s roadside skipper, a short-winged, cute species. East Texas’ frosted elfin looks like an intricately decorated dead leaf, while the drylands of West Texas host the West Coast lady. In South Texas, you can generally see spectacular species like white peacocks, giant swallowtails, Texan crescents, blue metalmarks, and gulf fritillaries. With hundreds of colorful species to be seen throughout the state, any butterfly enthusiast would be well served by taking a field guide out into the wilderness and see what turns up.
“You can see a lot of butterflies pretty much anywhere in Texas, and they’ll be interesting local butterflies,” Glassberg says. “The Rio Grande Valley and the Big Bend area would be the two most significant in terms of tourism.”
Is there a dedicated butterfly festival somewhere?
Indeed there is. The 28th annual Texas Butterfly Festival will be held Oct. 26-29 at the National Butterfly Center in Mission. The festival includes expert-led field trips to the Valley’s many public nature parks, as well as excursions to private gardens, with a decent chance of seeing around 60 species a day. There’s also a photo contest for shutterbugs, along with educational and community events held at the center’s garden.
What’s happening with state butterfly populations?
Shifting climatic conditions are likewise causing the beginning of a shift in butterfly ranges, Glassberg says. Many southern species are moving north to take advantage of warming areas where hard freezes are increasingly rare, and northern species are retreating even further north to escape the heat. But while climatic changes open up new opportunities for some species, increased droughts that come with them also put the plants that butterflies depend on under stress, with unhappy results.
Climate, however, is just one among many factors that dictate butterfly populations in Texas. More damaging is habitat loss—to urban and agricultural development, primarily—and pesticide use. “People think if someone builds a shopping mall or big parking lot that the butterflies can just move somewhere else,” Glassberg says. “But you’ve actually just taken away habitat that isn’t necessarily easily replaceable.”
What can I do to help protect butterflies?
If you own or rent a home with a yard, you can devote some of that land to native pollinator plants, which need less water and fertilizers to grow in Texas than expensive (and largely ecologically sterile) lawns or exotic flowers. If you see a butterfly you particularly like, Quinn says, you can attract it by learning what kinds of plants its caterpillars like to eat—and which flowers adults enjoy for nectar. Particularly attractive plants include members of the sunflower, mint, verbena, asters, mallows, and rose families. You can also plant wildflowers in your empty garden beds now so that they’ll be ready for spring.
Even if you don’t want a carefully engineered butterfly haven—and why wouldn’t you?—letting your yard grow a bit wild is a good way to attract the colorful insects, Quinn says. Trips down to the RGV can spark a love of butterflies, but the most satisfying sightings can be the ones you attract to your own yard.