Austin Butterfly Forum

Border wall planned through the National Butterfly Center threatens habitat, wildlife corridors, and decades of conservation and research efforts.

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Read about the impacts of the new border wall: What the Border Wall will do here, Article: Border wall will go through NBC

Welcome to Austin Butterfly Forum!

Austin Butterfly Forum was hatched in 1993 to enrich people’s lives through butterfly conservation and public pollinator awareness. We organize field trips, conduct butterfly counts, promote native gardening, perform conservation activities, partner with other non-profits and community groups, and meet monthly for fun and educational presentations. Among our founders and officers are some of the most credentialed entomologists in the country, and many of our members are also crazy about dragonflies, damselflies, bees, beetles, spiders and other arthropods (our meetings often cover those subjects as well). Come join us and learn!

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🗓️ Latest Meeting

March 23, 2026 7:00pm-8:30pm

Zilker Botanical Garden Clubhouse and Zoom

CLICK HERE TO JOIN ZOOM MEETING

📣 ATTENTION 📣

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Let's make general meetings more interactive! Starting with this month's general meeting (Monday, 3/23), sign up for a 10-minute presentation on a butterfly or a family of butterflies to educate the audience about butterflies (1 to 2 people per month). Moth topics are welcome. Don't be afraid even if you're a newbie! The goal is to learn together.

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Topic: The history of the MCZ Entomology Collection with special reference to Texas beetles

Speaker: Dr. Crystal Maier - Curatorial Associate -Entomolotgy Collection at the Museum of Comparitive Zoology at Harvard.

Description: The Entomology Collection at the Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ) at Harvard is one of the largest and most diverse university insect collections in the country, and is rich with historically important specimens. Here, we'll explore some of the history and current projects of the MCZ Entomology Collection, including our recent NSF-funded efforts to rehouse and database our microscope slide collection. She will also highlight some of the surprisingly strong connections between the MCZ Entomology collection and Texas entomology.

Bio: Dr. Crystal Maier is the Curatorial Associate for the Entomology Collection at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard. Along with several others, she manages the day to day needs of a collection of 8 million insect specimens and of the researchers who use them. She is particularly interested in beetles, the diversity of insects, and how to bring the data and stories of these specimens to the world. She has named many new species of water beetles and been on expeditions to study insect biology around the globe.

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🎟️ Upcoming/Recent Events

* If you would like to volunteer for any ABF event, please email butterfliesaustin@gmail.com

What: ABF Meetup at Golden Bloom Festival - Westcave Preserve 50th Anniversary
When: May 2, 2026; 1:00pm-4:30pm
Westcave requires reservations; $5 per vehicle + $1 fee

Location: Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center, Round Mountain, Tx 78663
Details: 2026 marks the 50th Anniversary of Westcave Preserve! Since 1976, Westcave has been a cornerstone of conservation in the Texas Hill Country, inspiring generations of students, naturalists, and visitors with our mission: “to inspire people to develop a lifelong practice of enjoying and protecting nature.”
Tentative Agenda:

~11:00AM - 12:00PM: Lunch at TBD

12:00PM - 12:45PM: Drive to Westcave

1:00PM meetup at TBD, ABF walk together

What's Included: Walks, hikes, music, crafts, and more!
- See full list of activities/details here: https://www.westcave.org

What: Keep Austin Fluttering at Zilker - Botanical Garden
When: 1st and 3rd Tuesdays (March 2026 - June 2026)

Do you want to be a steward of Zilker Botanical Garden's Butterfly Trail? Yes! We will gather to work together on a variety of garden tasks. Truth be told, the Butterfly Trail can get a little wild if we don't embrace it. If we work together to maximize the beauty of the Butterfly Trail, we can meet our mission to promote the conservation of butterflies and bring enjoyment to the visitors of the garden.

9:30AM to 11:30AM

https://www.givepulse.com/event/625563-Butterfly-Garden-Workday%21

***ABF Members, report your volunteer hours to ABF via email at butterfliesaustin@gmail.com*** These hours are tracked for quarterly and annual AAGC reports.

Interested in being a next level leader at ZBG?

https://zilkergarden.org/volunteer-opportunities/#docent

What: Bailey Middle School Butterfly Fest- Need Volunteers for ABF Booth
When: March 28, 2026; 11am - 2pm [Past]
Event Pics

Location: Bailey Middle School, 4020 Lost Oasis Hollow, Austin, Texas 78739
Event Host: Bailey Native Plants and Animals (NPA) Booster Club, which supports their NPA class and after school club.
Details: Bailey Middle School is hosting its second annual Butterfly Fest and Native Plant Sale. Selling plants to raise money for the NPA program, festival, and education stations and fun activities. ABF is hosting a booth with interactive activities and talking with visitors to the booth. You do not need to be an expert! On a side but related note, ABF may provide input on butterfly-related activities within their program and future plans for a butterfly observation house.
https://www.baileybearspta.org/plants

What: Spread the Harvest - Need Volunteers for the ABF Booth
When: March 7, 2026; 8am - 11am [Past]
Event Pics

Location: Dell Pediatric Research Institute, 1400 Barbara Jordan Blvd, Enter parking lot off of 51st street (Click for Map)
Event Host: EdEN Lab (Education, Evaluation, Nutrition) UT at Austin helps teachers promote learning and healthier living through hands-on school garden experiences.
Details: ABF will be a community partner at the Spring 2026 Spread the Harvest event hosted by EdEN Lab. The event will have over 150 schools with gardens participating. We are looking for volunteers to represent ABF at our table. We will be talking with teachers and other champions to help promote and foster school gardens. ABF will bring the materials and all you need to do is bring yourself! Knowledge of host and nectar plants for butterflies would help but we know generally the public has questions about all things butterflies. If you wish to bring something to give away, let's coordinate!
Due to rain chances, we will receive an update regarding the status of the event at 7:00AM on Saturday morning.
Setup: Booth setup begins at 7:30 am before the event officially starts at 8 am.
https://www.edenut.org/resources
Sign-ups so far: Brian & Valli Abel, Erin & Troy (7:30a-10a), ....