National Butterfly Centre Festival

We moved to a new site this morning with bigger trees, a citrus fruit orchard and cow pasture behind us and a small park in front of us.  More privacy.

Then I set off for the National Butterfly Center which was having an open house today.  It is just a few kilometres down the road from us.  This park has free bicycles but I decided to drive.  

Trails lead through plantings that attract different species of butterflies.

A Visitor Center has interpretive exhibits and naturalists.

Hackberry trail

Empress Leila

This Brasil Tree attracts butterflies

Texas Wild Olive tree

Texas Spiny Lizard (unfortunately no live photo)

Lantana plant

Soldier or Queen Butterfly the difference is slight

Gulf Fritillary (closed wing)

Gulf Fritillary 

Brown Longtail

White Peacock

Large Orange Sulphur

Empress Leila (probably)

Western Horse nettle ( aka Torrey's Nightshade)

Large Orange Sulphur

Bat house for Mexican Free-tailed bats

Lots of plantings for butterflies and other beneficial insects

Skipper spp.

American Snout

Julia

Well, I was at the Butterfly festival for 3 hours.  Meanwhile, back at the home site: