I was shocked to learn that the National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas has had to close its doors – hopefully only temporarily. The reason for the closure is most disturbing. They had been in an ongoing battle with the Trump administration and the building of the border wall to deter migrants from Mexico. Trump and his right wing radicals had begun cutting down trees on the 100 acre property, with chainsaws. The center is also a botanical garden that was created to protect native flora, making the demolishment of the beautiful area even more deplorable. When President Biden took office, he promised to halt construction of the wall, but it has continued nevertheless. To make matters worse, the center had become the target of conspiracy theories claiming that it was being used for human trafficking. There had been money laundering too, associated with the building of the wall. This heartless devastation of Nature for the sake of a few greedy investors should cause us great concern.
Nearly half of the butterflies that are native to North America can be seen in Mission, Texas and the surrounding Lower Rio Grande Valley. It is the largest native plant botanical garden in the country and it is also home to the World Birding Center. Bird enthusiasts from all over the globe flock to see the numerous bird species that pass through the area on migration. Both the National Butterfly Center and the World Bird Center are nestled against the Rio Grande where it divides Texas and Mexico. The area is of vital importance to the continuation of thousands of threatened butterfly and bird species. It is one of the few places that have been preserved in spite of human encroachment. I have hopes of visiting it myself one day.
The wanton killing of trees and the resulting destruction of habitat for so many species cannot continue. It must be stopped. I cannot imagine a world without butterflies. I do not want to live in a world without them.
