The parade of spring wildflowers, blooming trees and birds back from the tropics includes dozens of beautiful butterflies.

On late sunny afternoons, I count 20 to 35 butterflies of at least eight species feeding on blooming wildflowers, shrubs, and trees. Some, like the purple-spotted, yellow-edged mourning cloak have over-wintered as winged adults under natural cover.

At my house, the parade leader is the bright orange question mark with its “signature” on the underside of its rusty gray hind wings.

The Eastern tiger swallowtail is among the butterflies to watch for in Central Texas.
Darrell Vodopich photo

The fliers appear in mid- to late March. Initial species include pipevine and black swallowtails, which are black with bright blue or yellow spots. Then come black-striped, yellow eastern tiger swallowtails.

Yellow-striped, black giant swallowtails with 5-inch wingspans display the largest “spring-is-here” banners. Their caterpillars avoid being eaten by hungry birds because they mimic bird droppings.

Other caterpillars, like the Monarchs, are poisonous and advertise the fact with gaudy white, black and yellow ringed bodies.

Monarchs’ arrival

Monarch butterflies come from winter quarters in southern Mexico. Upon arriving in Waco, they lay eggs on milkweeds, which their caterpillars eat. That’s how they become toxic.

They transform into green, gold-spotted pupae that hang beneath uneaten leaves. Emerging adult Monarchs continue to fly northward and make more reproductive (new generation) stops before descendents reach southern Canada.

We know this by tagging wings and recapturing marked individuals, a basic method in many wildlife studies.

In the fall, monarchs flock together for the flight south to spend winter in the same area of Mexico their ancestors left in spring. The place is a national park specifically for their protection.

But some overstay their winters in Florida and California. Going south through Waco, monarchs occasionally decorate the trees in my yard with overnight roosting clusters.

That this butterfly depends on habitat in three countries reminds me of the need for international appreciation and protection of nature. Each April 22, we celebrate Earth Day in recognition of this responsibility.

Monarch butterfly caterpillar
Darrell Vodopich photo

Among insects, there is nothing more instructive for hands-on teaching than the monarch butterfly. Its caterpillars, pupae and adults illustrate insect life forms and cycles. Students can handle and feed caterpillars milkweed, provide a place for the eventual pupa to hang, then have the joy of watching and releasing the emerging adult butterfly. This requires a glass container and about 30 days at home or in the classroom.

More butterflies follow parade leaders in April, all adults and their caterpillars feeding on wildflowers, shrubs and trees. Newly emerged, they display such interesting relationships as edible viceroys that mimic the inedible, poisonous Monarchs for protection and other long-distance migrants like painted ladies.

Banner carriers

April’s “ banner carriers” also include small species such as blues, hairstreaks, and skippers, along with initial generations of larger hackberries, tawny emperors, and sulphurs.

The forests’ tree canopies become shady by mid-April, yet there are edges and openings with fallen trees from storms where butterflies pause for flower drinks.

Their “bottled” nectar changes as the parade passes by my viewing stand, and I see that Turk’s cap is a later-season favorite.

April’s butterflies share flowers with ruby-throated and black-chinned hummingbirds that arrive with other birds from winter quarters in Latin America. This peak parade is usually late April to early May.

Dogface sulphur
Darrell Vodopich photo

A personal favorite is the southern dogface sulphur, with its poodle-head wing pattern. I also wave at butterfly heralds of climate change.

Originally tropical, they advise me of our erratically warming climate by adopting Central Texas as home or spending their summers here. They come from the lower Gulf Coast, Rio Grande Valley, and Mexico and include the Gulf Fritillary, which likes our native and cultivated passion vines so much that it stays here permanently.

Other tropical visitors include zebras, julias, and malachites. Why not look them up in a butterfly field guide?

I think about the long-distance international connections while celebrating Earth Day, because it is now a worldwide event. The wildlife and blooming flower parade at my house is a reminder.

Check out the Cameron Park Zoo, for example. Even some churches have services or other events to remind us that all people everywhere are Earth’s stewards.