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Greetings!
You know it's hot outside when you can cool off in our 85 degree Butterfly House! Stay cool Saturday with our first Butterfly Festival--we've got crafts, face painting, photos, and more inside, as well as snow cones, butterfly treats and gorgeous gardens outside. See below for details.
We also hope you're enjoying our renovated website! Thanks for all of your feedback so far; please let us know what you think! Stay tuned for: Descriptions of tropical butterflies, a garden blog, our Gift Shop page, volunteer news, and much more!
And finally, a recap on our previous email regarding city funding. Our executive director and members of our board spoke to the City Council Aug. 4 and received encouragement from those present. We will keep you updated as the city continues to work on the budget. Here's how you can help: if you are a Dallas resident, look on the City of Dallas website for a schedule of your Council member's Town Hall meetings regarding the budget. Attend them and ask questions about the budget. We can all make a difference if we take part in our local government!
Thanks,
Texas Discovery Gardens staff |
Butterfly Festival - August 14
We're all about butterflies on Aug. 14, 2010, as we celebrate our first Butterfly Festival. Enjoy these winged creatures outside in the Gardens and in our Rosine Smith Sammons Butterfly House and Insectarium.
 Join us all day for educational tables, crafts, classes and more! The Dallas County Lepidopterist's Society will be on hand to talk about butterflies. Kindervision will be here from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to film safety videos of your little ones.
Get your photo taken with the butterflies by InI Photographics to commemorate the day! We'll have select butterfly host and nectar plants on sale, as well as information on how to start your own butterfly garden.
When: Saturday, Aug. 14, 2010, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Last ticket sold at 4:15 p.m. to enter butterfly house.
Cost: We are offering free garden admission! Butterfly House admission is $8/adults, $6/seniors, and $4/children.
Schedule:
*Note: Our 9 am Butterfly Release has been cancelled. To participate in a mass butterfly release, check out two opportunities Sept. 18 with the Dallas Green Festival!
 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. - Butterfly Photography Class led by Janet D. Smith, Dallas County Master Gardener and Volunteer Photographer for Texas Discovery Gardens. Learn how to capture that perfect butterfly shot. Class will be held inside the butterfly house and out in the Gardens before we open to the public. Bring your camera! Cost: $20; $16/members. Register here or call (214) 428-7476 x 343. About the Instructor: Janet Smith is a recovering plantaholic who considers the Master Gardening training her 12-step program. She now restricts her plant selections to heat and drought tolerant plants and those that attract pollinators like butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. Janet enjoys using her photography as an educational tool to provide herself and others with a close-up view of plants and butterflies. 11 a.m. to noon - Caterpillar Crawl Garden Walk. Bring the kids and help us find hungry caterpillars across the Gardens! Appropriate for all ages. Dress up as a butterfly or your favorite bug! Noon-Butterfly Talk and release in the Butterfly House. Learn all about these fascinating flying creatures with Captain Chrysalis as he releases newly emerged butterflies into the butterfly house. Free with Butterfly House admission.  2 p.m. - Monarch Tagging Demonstration by Sara Beckelman. Discover the lifecycle of the monarch butterfly and the science behind its annual migration to Mexico. Learn how researchers are tagging monarchs each fall to help map their migration patterns. About the Instructor: Sara Beckelman is an Irving Master Composter and Master Naturalist, and serves on Irving's Green Advisory Committee. Beckelman has a National Wildlife Federation wildlife habitat as well as a Texas Discovery Gardens certified butterfly habitat at her home. |
Dallas Green Festival - September 18
Saturday, September 18, Texas Discovery Gardens and the City of Dallas present the third annual Dallas Green Festival to move us and our city to a greener, more sustainable future!
Join us for a day of inspiration, fun and education. There will be green demonstrations on everything from composting, organic gardening to recycling, rainwater collection and sustainable energy. There will be a kid's zone with projects to build terrariums and bird feeders, activities and crafts, face painters and more - an adventure zone with a zip line and a rock climbing wall - an artist's walk filled with artists and their work using recycled materials - live musical entertainment and delicious food vendors and more!
Included in the day's activities is Texas Discovery Gardens' first annual Smart Car Butterfly Rally, where smart cars will race to a better future to benefit our children's education program.
Sponsor a car today! Each $5 sponsorship allows a student from DISD to participate in our EarthKeepers Children's Education Programs this next school year! For only $15, you also gain entry into one of two mass butterfly releases on Sept. 18 where hundred's of butterflies will be released into the conservatory.
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Ernie Ryan (Sept. 2, 1913 to July 30, 2010)
Ernie Ryan with Executive Director Melissa Martin during the unveiling of tropical butterflies in our exhibit. | We would like to take a moment to honor and remember Ernie Ryan, longtime lepidopterist and volunteer. Since 1994, Ernie spent countless hours at the Gardens teaching visitors about butterflies and other insects. He often took his pinned butterfly collection to libraries and nature centers across DFW to share his passion for the natural world with children and adults. In addition to educating others about butterflies, Ernie enjoyed bowling and bridge.
We are privileged to be able to display a portion of Ernie's pinned butterfly collection in his honor during our Butterfly Festival Aug. 14.
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A special thanks to the following donors for their help this summer!
Ron's Organics, Inc. -- Our Photography Contest sponsor. Owners Ron and Mona Hall have been so helpful getting our Photography Contest going. Listen to Ron and Mona each Sunday from 8 am - 9 am onKLIF 570 AM as they host the Natural Living and Garden Show. Don't miss frequent guest, our own Randy Johnson, Director of Horticulture!
Preservation Tree Services, Inc. -- Our friends over at Preservation Tree dropped off excess cedar mulch from a local project. We've used it to make a relaxing (and scented)! pathway in our shade garden, as well as cover for many of our gardens. Also, stay tuned to WRR 101.1 FM for Organic Moments throughout the day courtesy of Preservation Tree Services, as well as PTS-sponsored Garden Notes featuring Texas Discovery Gardens each Saturday morning at 8 am.
Cantrell Landscaping and Irrigation, Inc. -- This past month, the crew from Cantrell Landscaping has spent many hours working on our sprinkler systems, getting them in top working condition for the summer! |
| Summer Fun at the Gift Shop |
Have fun with the whole family these last few days of summer with our selection of new educational toys and interactive books! We've got all your summer gear here, including comfy and stylish visors and hats. | | Stop by our Gift Shop to purchase. Check out our clearance items, too! Open Daily 10 am - 5 pm. |
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