Festival Information

Event registration is $455 per person and includes:

• Three (3) days of workshops and field trips with brown bag lunch;
• Saturday’s Welcome Reception and Event Orientation, with light dinner fare;
• Sunday’s ‘Border Buttermilk’ Dinner al Fresco, featuring everyone’s favorite margaritas & (optional) nighttime mothing; and
• Monday’s Keynote Speaker’s Banquet and Silent Auction to benefit our educational programs.

The Texas Butterfly Festival is an adventure, every year. We pride ourselves on organizing a fun-filled event with fantastic guides, flavorful food and outstanding learning opportunities. Of course, your sack lunches will still be sack lunches...but you have the margarita machine to help you get over that. 

Important Details at a Glance

Here are a few things you may be curious about, whether you’re a first timer or repeat registrant: 

1. This year we will have van transportation to all destinations.  The cost of the vans has increased dramatically, hence the increased cost of the festival.
2. Registrants will belong to cohorts that will stay together for all 3 days of excursions. This means you do not get to select specific destinations or guides; rather, you will select the cohort to which you will belong. 
3. All cohorts will go East, West and In-Between (also known as the ‘Butterfly Beltway’); so, choose a cohort based upon the area you wish to see first, to accommodate your travel plans, to pursue select butterflies or just roll the dice, as all excursions offer interesting sites and target species.
4. As always, specific destinations will be determined based upon scouting reports a week or so prior to the festival. That is the primary reason destinations are not named in advance.
5. Guides will get to choose their cohort based upon their preferences and schedules.

More important information:

We’re not kidding. This is the really important stuff. Read it. Print it. Post it on the ‘fridge.  

After you register, you will NOT receive any further communication from us concerning the festival/meeting, other than ONE pre-event email, one week before the event, with any special announcements, weather warnings and reminders.  

Your registration packet and 'goodie bag' will be available for pick up on Saturday, October 26, 2024, at the host hotel during hours specified on the schedule. Print your registration email and refer back to this website, should you have questions or concerns about the event or schedule.

We will have THREE cohorts for field trips.  Any changes ‘on the fly’ to your cohort selections will be based upon availability. 

Cohorts are limited to approximately 20 people.

Each guide will have a basic first aid kit and a small ice chest with at least one water per person. Participants are encouraged to pack their own snacks and additional beverages, first aid and comfort items, as desired.  If you require insulin, an epipen or other medication, please remember to bring it with you each day AND inform your guide and fellow tour members about any critical medical information they may need should an emergency occur in the field. 

Trips contain warnings related to hazards. Please heed them. We appreciate the fact that many festival registrants are experienced naturalists, but the sun, snakes, thorns, fire ants, stinging gnats, chiggers and other dangers do not care how many times you have ventured out elsewhere. Everything in South Texas fights for its life, so please take us seriously when we suggest insect repellent, tall socks, hats, boots, handkerchiefs, long pants and lightweight, long-sleeved cotton tees and vented field shirts. We want you to have fun, and the best way to do that is to come prepared. 

The Welcome Reception is optional, but we do share important information with everyone at that time, such as field conditions that may impact your participation, and more. This will be the best time to meet the guides for your cohort and fellow travelers for the next three days. For this reason, we strongly encourage everyone to attend, and we provide food to lure you there. 

PLEASE bring your own reusable water bottle. You may refill it at the hotel and at the center, as well as at facilities' hydration stations, where available. We are committed to reducing single use plastics and hope you will do your part. 

While Mission and the surrounding areas offer many fine places to stay, we encourage festival registrants (especially first-timers) to stay at the host hotel. 

Please note: the SCHEDULE OF EVENTS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.  

The sale of limited space shall occur on a 'first come, first served' basis.  If you have questions about selecting a cohort, rigorous conditions, challenging terrain, obstacles or hazards, please email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and allow up to 24 hours for a detailed response. 

• Cancellations and Refunds: We know you don't want you to miss the 28th Annual Texas Butterfly Festival, but if you must cancel, call 956.583.5400, during regular business hours, Monday - Friday. Refunds, less a $50 fee, will be issued up until 4PM, Friday, October 4. Cancellations up until 4PM, Friday, October 18, will be issued at 50%.  Regretfully, cancellations and no-shows will not be refunded after this. 

• Substitutions: The event organizers reserve the right to cancel any festival activity or make qualified substitutions. If a cancellation is necessary, a full refund will be issued, unless otherwise noted.

We look forward to seeing you!