Journey of Monarch Butterflies to be Tracked at Unique Houston Botanic Gardens Event

Journey of Monarch Butterflies to be Tracked at Unique Houston Botanic Gardens Event

SURE IT'S A bit chilly, but have you noticed the butterflies are back? On Saturday, March 18, beginning at 10am, Houston Botanic Garden celebrates the iconic and endangered monarch butterfly with March for Monarchs, an interactive family-friendly “march” through the Garden that mirrors the over 3,000-mile spring-to-summer migration of monarch butterflies from Mexico to the northern U.S.


For Houston Botanic Garden Education Manager Erin Mills, monarchs are a “gateway bug,” as they are typically the first butterfly species people are able to recognize. “The monarchs’ lengthy migration spans multiple generations and encompasses most of the continent,” says Mills. “There really isn’t anything else like it in the world.”

Beginning at Woodland Glade, the Garden’s outdoor event space, participants will learn about the symbolic meaning of butterflies in Mexico and saddle up with supplies for the hike, including a proboscis (straw) for sipping complimentary nectar (punch or tea). The first stop is the Culinary Garden which features an “egg station” with information about how monarchs, upon their arrival in Texas, lay eggs and then die, leaving the following leg of their migration to the next generation.

Next up is an oak grove overlooking Sims Bayou, where participants will learn about “citizen science projects” created to help monarchs. From there, the group will cross the Garden’s Bayou Bridge, and traverse an obstacle course designed to evoke the challenges and threats monarchs encounter during their migration. Finally, at the Susan Garver Family Discovery Garden, hungry humans will celebrate the end of their arduous journey with sweet treats, drinks, music, a community mural, crafts, and games.

Even cooler, participants will receive a native milkweed plant from Mustard Seed Farms to take home and use to start a pollinator garden. “With migratory monarchs recently classified as endangered, and their decline an indication of trouble facing other pollinators, there has never been a better time to plant native milkweed,” says Mills.

People + Places
Reyna Group Owner Leads Real Estate Market with Passion and Excellence

MICHELLE REYNA WYMES, a distinguished name in the Houston real estate market, is the owner of the successful boutique brokerage, Reyna Group. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Michelle has deep-rooted connections to the community she serves with dedication and pride.

Keep Reading Show less

The lobby of White Elephant Palm Beach

COVERED IN VERDANT vines and flanked by tall palm trees, the entrance to the White Elephant Palm Beach feels like passing into a stately home, rather than one of the island’s newest resorts. The building is 101 years old, and while the original footprint and façade remain, the interior has a decidedly updated, ultra-luxe beach vibe.

Keep Reading Show less

Photographer Jhane Hoang with two covers she photographed

ONE OF Houston CityBook’s most beloved photographers was recently diagnosed with stage four cervical cancer. Jhane Hoang has been behind the camera for some of the magazine’s most ambitious shoots — including an overnight shoot at the then-new Weiss Energy Hall at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, and a cold rainy shoot at the Houston Zoo where the crew used a concessions stand as a staging area for hair and makeup.

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment