Austin, Texas, is home to about 170 species of butterflies. It is also the home of the Austin Butterfly Forum, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to butterfly conservation and to enriching people's lives through butterflies. The Austin Butterfly Forum is a club that organizes field trips, conducts butterfly counts, promotes native gardening, performs conservation activities, and meets monthly for an educational presentation. We are a community of butterfly enthusiasts who also enjoy dragonflies & damselflies, bees, beetles, spiders and arthropods in general, and our meeting presentations span this gamut as well. Join Us!
 Checkered Beetle, photo by Valerie Bugh |
Meetings are held in the Zilker Garden Center, 2220 Barton Springs Rd., Austin, TX, 78746 at 7:00 PM on the fourth Monday of each month except December.
- Aug. 27, 2018, 7 PM meeting: Beetles ~ Airborne Armor, presented by Valerie Bugh.
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Of all animal orders, Coleoptera contains the most species. From minute specks almost invisible to the human eye to hefty insects that can cover your palm, beetles are a substantial segment of just about every terrestrial ecosystem. In spite of their abundance and diversity, beetles often go unnoticed by many people and, undoubtedly, part of their success is due to remaining so discreet. With tough outer body protection and the ability to fly, beetles are equipped to disperse and utilize habitats from desert to aquatic. We'll look at the variety, characteristics, life cycle, behaviors and relationships of these fascinating and beautiful creatures.
Val Bugh is a local naturalist specializing in the arthropods of the Austin area, with interests in taxonomy and photography. She runs the Fauna Project at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, leads insect discovery walks, teaches entomology courses, provides insect/spider identifications, gives talks to local organizations, and has published pocket guides to "Butterflies of Central Texas" and "Spiders of Texas." Website: Austin Bug Collection
- Sept. 24, 2018, 7 PM meeting: Orchid Bees, presented by Robinson Sudan.
MembershipAll of our normal events are open to the public, but you may want to become a member of the Austin Butterfly Forum to help support us and our events. We also treat members to some extra goodies, such as reduced admission to special programs that have a fee and discounts on purchases made at meetings. Membership is $20 annually per household payable during meetings or by mail to Doris Hill, ABF Treasurer, 1605 Broadmoor, Austin, TX 78723. For more information, please contact Mike Quinn, ABF president at 512-577-0250 or |