The best butterflying in America is in the Valley
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- Published: Wednesday, 23 October 2019 00:00
Join the National Butterfly Center on Saturday, November 2 – Tuesday, November 5, for the 24th Annual Texas Butterfly Festival, and see for yourself why USA Today calls Mission, Texas, “the butterfly capital of the USA.”
Renowned for a volume and variety of wild, free-flying butterflies that cannot be found anywhere else in the country, deep south Texas is home to the country's premier butterfly event, featuring field trips and educational activities for beginners to experts, private gardens and guided 'hot spot' tours, The North American Butterfly Photo Contest, and a free community day fun.
The three-day event starts off with the Running of the Monarchs 5K Trail Run and one Mile Fun Run. The run will be held across the National Butterfly Center’s grounds and gardens. Participants must pre-register for the event to receive a commemorative Monarch Medal. The entry fee is $24 for adults and $12 for children. All funds are used to support the environmental conservation work of the center. Seed bombs will be provided to participants to throw along the route of the run.
The community day will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visitors can learn how to make their own Banana Brew, attend arts and crafts session, hunt the hackberry trail, pin the tail on the Swallowtail, and more.
The National Butterfly Center is honored to host the festival and provide attendees a remarkable and rewarding outdoor experience. Registrants will spend three days exploring renowned public lands and private properties with world-class trip leaders, where you may reasonably expect to see more than 60 species in a day.
Last year, attendees from 23 states and four countries registered to experience one of the most biologically diverse areas in North America, with the assistance of expert guides. Come see for yourself why the Rio Grande Valley has earned worldwide recognition for its outstanding butterfly and birding spots, inviting thousands of visitors each year to discover its remarkable assortment of preserves, refuges, nature parks, trails, and more.
Whether you are an accomplished naturalist or a beginner enthusiast, the Texas Butterfly Festival is the place to be. Here, many eyes 
make for exciting discoveries, including U.S. records, super rarities, subtropical strays, seldom-seen species, 'life' and chase butterflies that may only be found in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV), where the river winds its way toward the Laguna Madre at the Gulf of Mexico. This unique region encompasses no fewer than 11 different types of habitat, from tidal wetlands to riparian forest, brushland scrub to prairie savanna, and is home to more than 1,200 different species of plants, 500 species of birds, 200 vertebrate species, roughly 300 species of butterflies, and over 90 species of dragonflies.
To learn more about the one and only Texas Butterfly Festival, where to stay, what to do, and how to participate, visit the website at www.texasbutterflyfestival.com.
The McAllen Wind Ensemble, under the baton of Music Director Roger Olivarez, will open their 45th season with a concert dedicated to our American heroes. This exciting start to the 2019-20 season will be held Tuesday, November 12 at 7:30 p.m. on the McAllen Performing Arts Center stage. All veterans, current service members, and first responders are invited to be guests of the McAllen Wind Ensemble with free admission to the concert.
The Harlingen Concert Association, originally the RGV Civic Music Association in 1933, has been proud to bring internationally acclaimed touring artists to the Rio Grande Valley since its inception. Some of this year’s acts include Broadway Bound, The Maxwell Quartet, Sons of Serendip, Dan Miller’s Cowboy Music Revue, Sail On – Beach Boys Tribute and Burlap to Cashmere.
It's a bird. It's a plane. It's Superman.
The Edinburg Scenic Wetlands and World Birding Center (EWBC) invites the community to enjoy free fun during the monthly Spectacular Saturday Series. On the last Saturday of each month, the entry fee is waived for all visitors from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Put on your Indiana Jones hat and get ready for adventures in archeology at Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Park on October 19 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
McAllen Convention Center will host a stellar line up of entertainment in the Broadway in McAllen and McAllen Live! Series this season. Broadway in McAllen opens this weekend with Cats. Performances will be held at 8 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Saturday.
UTRGV Performing Arts, Patron of the Arts, is all about entertaining this year. Their calendar is quite full of music ranging from flamenco to holiday music. Their season started in early September with a piano concert and will end in the Spring with a tuba concert.
