Most butterfly enthusiasts know that Texas is a hotbed for butterflies. One can drive through Texas and see hundreds of different species. But why does Texas attract so many butterflies?
Fauna Ventures offers butterfly tours all over the world, including to Texas. Our butterfly experts (known as lepidopterists) lead groups of people to see the beautiful butterflies in Texas. This Texas vacation package offers a chance to see the double-dotted skipper, the blue metalmark, the red-crescent scrub-hairstreak, and so many more. You’ll also see other wildlife, including dozens of bird species, various lizard species, and more. Below, we’ll take a look at why butterflies love Texas, and we invite you to join us on our next Texas butterfly tour today!
WHY BUTTERFLIES LOVE TEXAS
It’s a Migratory Route
Many butterfly species (most famously the Monarch butterfly) migrate during the year. They migrate north during the warm summer months and then head south to warmer climates during the colder winter months. The Monarch winters in Mexico, so they migrate thousands of miles in the spring to southern Canada, and then in the fall they migrate back to Mexico, passing through Texas.
Lots of Great Habitat
Texas is known for its incredibly diverse climates and habitats. It has plains, hill country, open prairies, pinewoods, and mountainous regions. Furthermore, it has brush country and coastal habitats that include lakes, swamps, marshes, and, of course, the ocean and coastal regions. These diverse landforms attract a wide array of animals, and it produces many flowers of which butterflies love.
Undisturbed Stretches of Land
As the second-largest state in the Union, Texas has lots of areas of undeveloped land for butterflies to flit around undisturbed. This allows for great mating and egg-laying, as well as allows for the butterfly larvae when they hatch to grow relatively undisturbed by humans. For example, the Monarch butterfly only lays its eggs on milkweed plants, so there needs to be a plethora of them in order to support their larvae. With the abundance of native grasslands, butterflies find Texas a great place to call home.
Places to Rest
As you can imagine, flying from Mexico to Canada when you are a butterfly that weighs mere ounces can be challenging. Butterflies frequently need places to rest and to eat on their long journey both to Canada and back to Texas. Since Texas has so many open areas of land, butterflies can eat and rest up. Butterflies also cannot fly when it is cold out. They have to warm up their wings first. Thus, having trees that offer both shelter and protection from predators while they bask in the sun warming up is super important.
Butterfly Gardens
Many people love to attract butterflies to their homes. Let’s face it, what’s NOT to love about the beauty and wonder of butterflies? Seeing them can brighten your day and bring a smile to your face and pure joy. Butterflies love nectar plants where they can eat, food plants for caterpillars if you want butterflies to lay their eggs in your butterfly garden and they watch them grow over the spring and summer. Plus, there’s truly nothing more remarkable in nature than seeing a chrysalis except maybe watching a butterfly emerge from a chrysalis. Butterflies also love flat stones where they can soak up the rays of the sun as well.
Good Sources of Water
Butterflies, like all creatures, need water to survive. Texas has some great waterways from the coast to the rivers and lakes that butterflies can stop, rest, and get water. In addition, butterflies also drink minerals from damp puddles and wet sand that they need to survive. This is why you will see them along the shores of waterways quite frequently.
CHOOSE FAUNA VENTURES FOR YOUR NEXT TEXAS BUTTERFLY TRIP
Texas is a great place to take a nature tour. The people are incredibly friendly, as well as have a mindset to conservation. When you join us on our next Texas butterfly tour, you can expect to see butterflies up close and personal. We’ll visit many remarkable places where butterflies love to hang out, such as multiple state parks, including the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. Book your Texas tour today!