Rio Grande Valley Butterfly and Lepidoptera Links:

Wow! Over 314 species of butterflies have been found in the Lower Rio Grande Valley or LRGV.

Our yard in Mission has had 150 butterfly species (ALL HAVE BEEN DOCUMENTED BY PHOTOS OR SPECIMENS), more species than are found on 22 states' lists.

There are probably several reasons for these large numbers of butterfly species that are found in South Texas' Lower Rio Grande Valley:

1) More people willing to document the RGV butterflies through collecting and through raising LRGV caterpillars.

2) Fantastic, relatively inexpensive digital zoom cameras only available in the past few years that are able to document many LRGV butterfly species, without having to collect them.

3) Excellent field guides and the Internet references that have recently become available to assist you in identifying the RGV butterflies.

4) The ever growing number of people in the field that, because of all of the above, are out looking for the Rio Grande Valley butterflies, and are finding new LRGV lepidoptera species. Many of these folks are networking to help each other.

5) Public and private awareness of the need for the planting of LRGV native butterfly nectaring and LRGV native butterfly host plants.

6) Establishing small, medium, and quite large butterfly-specific gardens by Federal, State, LRGV county, LRGV city governments, LRGV school districts, and Rio Grande Valley residents.

7) Awareness and appreciation by RGV governments, RGV school entities, RGV businesses, and RGV Chambers of Commerce about the economic impact of LRGV butterfliers and RGV butterflies

8) There are more rather recently established, re-vegetated, and protected habitats in the Rio Grande Valley than the RGV has had in many years.

9) The Rio Grande Valley's southern location and the LRGV's close proximity to Mexico as well as rather new Mexican butterfly plantings and Mexican government and Mexican citizen awareness of the economic impact of tourist butterfliers and Mexican butterfliers.

10) And probably most important, the willingness of very knowledgeable lepidopterists to share their experience and knowledge about the Rio Grande Valley moths and the RGV butterflies.

Have hardly mentioned the RGV moths and the ever-growing number of folks looking for these beautiful and unique creatures.

Come see the mariposas y polillas of South Texas' Lower Rio Grande Valley or LRGV, come often, bring friends, and use the links on this site to help you find and enjoy our LRGV lepidoptera!

Three Tips To Attract Butterflies That Don't Often Come To Flowers:

1. Make a Bait: I use 6 overipe bananas + 1lb. of brown sugar + 1 bottle of Guinness Extra Stout (because the Guinness is not pasteurized like most beers are, and pasteurization kills yeast). Since Guinness contains live yeast, the bait can ferment, even in the fridge. Use a blender to mix up all this muck. Store the bait in a plastic, one gallon container with a loosened cap (so the gases can vent). I keep the bait in the fridge (again, remember to let the container vent). And remember to only fill your storage container half full or less, because the bait will rise like homemade bread due to the yeast, and the bait can double in size.

I put a little out on raised horizontal log or a small feeder that is just a shallow dish on a 2 ft pole, either are placed 2-3 ft away from the path because of bees and wasps using the bait, also. I wipe a little on a vertical tree trunk, also. Some butterflies come to the horizontal feeders, others will use the vertically placed bait. Use only a very small amount, because on warm or hot days the bait will ferment, rise, and double or triple in size, just like bread does, because of the yeast in the Guinness.

Some people store their containers outdoors so the mix can really ferment, but I have had excellent luck just keeping it in the fridge. Moths are attracted to the bait also. Again, be aware that we get bees and wasps coming to the feeders, so we place the feeders away from where people walk. We have never had anyone stung. And since we only use about 1/4 cup per day, no one has ever complained about the yeasty-beer odor. Birds occasionally eat the brew and opposums, raccoons, and rats may eat it at night. I add the bait everyday.

We pour a plastic water bottle about 1/2 full of the bait and take it into the field to spread around, also. If you do this, BE SURE you have not overfilled the plastic bottle and that the cap is loose enough for the bottle to vent. As the bait is heated in the car, it can quickly expand and build up pressure if you are not careful.

2. Put some cut up fruit in a wire-mesh hanging basket. We got the tri-baskets, from WalMart, that are attached one below the other by three chains and that are designed for holding fruit and eggs out in the open. We cut off the top two baskets so that we are just hanging one basket, then we re-attach the three chains to the larger bottom basket. Put cut up overipe bananas, mangos, papayas, pears, peaches, or apples that the grocery store will probably just give you if you ask, because the store cannot sell them. Hang the basket just below eye level so that you can look down into it and photograph inside it, but not so low that you cannot see or photograph the ones that hang from the bottom of the mesh basket. Lots of butterflies will hang from the bottom of the mesh basket. By the way, you can place a round plate that a frozen dinner came in and that has a raised rim around it, inside the mesh basket and place the brew-bait in the dish. If you do this, however, be sure you place some small rocks or sticks in the dish and don't get the bait on them so the butterflies don't have to land in the bait and get the sticky mess on themselves.

3. If you see dried animal feces on road or trail, re-hydrate the feces with a little water and wait for about 10-15 minutes. There are lots of butterflies that come to feces, also.

FIELD GUIDES FOR THE LGRV:

RIO GRANDE VALLEY BUTTERFLY INFORMATION:

MEXICO AND NEOTROPICAL BUTTERFLY INFORMATION:

TEXAS BUTTERFLY INFORMATION:

OTHER NORTH AMERICAN BUTTERFLY SITES:

NORTH AMERICAN MOTH INFORMATION SITES:

SOCIETIES AND ORGANIZATIONS:

CHAT GROUPS ON THE WWW: