A Visit to Butterflies Unlimited Butterfly Farm.

And what a wonderful visit it was!!!

The farm is in Glenn Heights, Texas. Owned by Mr. Dale Clark who is also the founder of
The Dallas County Lepidopterists' Society and the creator of their website;
http://www.dallasbutterflies.com/
This is a wonderful site where we can learn about the Butterflies and Moths in our area of Texas.

They usually have open house tours once a year and I was fortunate to learn about it through Sheila who had met Dale Clark at the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens Butterfly Exhibit last year.
He invited her to the annual tour, but she couldn't go, so she let me know about it, and that is how I ended up on the tour.

Dale Clark is a very generous host, he had larval plants as prizes for the guests, refreshments and even let us look at his extensive collection of Butterfly and Moths specimens.
This picture is of one of the many specimen drawers he has.

Her is Dale Clark standing on a ladder giving people directions.

Part of the large group of people present.

The butterfly greenhouse with lots and lots of larval plants and many caterpilars munching away.

A Zebra Longwing in the butterfly house.

This is inside the larval cage house, didn't count but there were many.

Another view of the larval cage house.

A catterpilar feeding in one of the cages, it was all very neatly done.

Variegated Fritillaries on the floor of the cage.

There are many large flower beds with masses of flowers, those butterflies can't miss, it was beautiful.
Clammyweed here.

A great big Kidney Wood with many tiny white flowers.

A large bed of Lantana horrida.

A very interesting rotting fruit feeder, had many butterflies in it.

A full view of the feeder, I don't know if the sleeve was to keep the water out, or the butterflies in.

A large Duranta erecta shrub, Dale said it made it through the winter. Those are so pretty.

Large bed of Bluemist flower, Conoclinium greggii, there wasn't much bloom at the time but wow!
talk about and attraction for Queens and Monarchs.

This bed of Phlox was great too, I don't know for sure but I think it is John Fanick? I bet all the butterflies within a 20 mile radius are at his place.

Black Eyed Susans by the hundreds, Wow!!

And one of my favorites, Carolina Phlox.

I believe this lovely little vine called Roving Sailor is a larval host for the Buckeye.
This delicate vine was covering a good size trellis which was very impressive.

And last but not least, here i am close to another bed of Lantanas.
It was a most wonderful tour, thank you Dale and Sheila.
Josephine.

Thanks for sharing your tour. Butterflies Unlimited looks like a wonderful, magical place.

Debra

You are welcome, we had a lot of fun.
Josephine.

Oh how wonderful, so glad you took pictures Josephine. I was sad that I couldn't attend but very glad you could make it. Looks like he has quite an operation going there. Thanks for sharing all the action inside and out.
Sheila

Yes, I wish you could have been there, but maybe next year, it was hard to take pictures of the butterflies in the hoop house because there were a lot of people in there and you couldn't move freely.
Josephine.

Hopefully I will get another chance to visit, it looks like it would definately be very interesting!

Just wonderful! Now I wanna go.

Peggy

Thanks for sharing!!! Dale is a great guy. He usually comes down each year to our butterfly festival in October. Hope he makes it next month. He's a wonderful tour guide too.

Dale if you're listening...we've gotten some rain in the LRGV and the plant are starting to bloom. If the weather continues to cooperate it will surely be a fantastic butterfly festival season.

~ Cat

Thanks for the kind words Cat and Josephine. You're making me blush!

I'll extend a public invitation for next year's tour -- although I don't know the date yet. Every year the Dallas County Lepidopterists' Society (www.dallasbutterflies.com) meets here at my place for a field trip and I take that opportunity to open up the place to anyone interested in coming by. I know there's a good number of Dave's Gardener's who are into butterflies and moths and in the north Texas area, so come on by next year during the open house. Always good to see so many people getting excited about lepidoptera.

Cat, glad you guys are getting some rain. You've certainly needed it. It's been crazy up here with off and on showers since last Thursday. Glenn Heights, where I live, has gotten 11 inches of rain in the past five days. Of course, I washed my truck on Wednesday and that started it all the next day....

Josephine, I've never heard the name Roving Sailor -- always known the plant as Snapdragon Vine -- but I like Roving Sailor, too. A beautiful vine/flower and a host plant for Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia) to boot.
Dale

I will definately keep an eye out for the invitation Dale, thanks for letting us know. If we hadn't already planned for the vacation to GA at that time, I would have definately been there.

Here is the link, it is the second common name;
http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MAAN9
Josephine.

I need a field trip to Dallas! It would be nice to see what butterflies are seen in other areas. Will have to remember that next year and plan for vacation time.

ps...not meaning to high-jack the thread - but hey Dale...I photographed a Forbes at the ranch in San Isidro this past weekend. I've never seen one of those there but have found a cocoon or two over the years.

~ Cat

I knew I should have went, hopefully next time!

Thanks for taking and posting the pics Frostweed.

You are welcome Peggy, by the way, will you be coming to the Arlington swap?
Josephine.

frost
thanks for the invite but sadley ,no...too much to do in the nursery and yard to get it all ready for Old Man Winter

I know what you mean, so much to do, so little time.