Page 50 Rio Grande Valley Visitors Guide 2023-2024 Thrush, Great Kiskadee, Plain Chachalaca, Green Kingfisher, Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Green Jay, and more. Open year-round, hours are Tuesdays through Saturdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sundays 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., and closed Mondays. Regular admission is $5, Seniors are $4, children 12 and under are free, and students 13 and up are $3. For more information, call (956) 968-3275, like Facebook.com/frontera.audubon, or visit the website at www.fronteraaudubon.org. Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge With the refuge’s primary mission of providing habitat for wildlife, the approximately 120,000 acres provides for a wide diversity of species. Visitors can enjoy many birds, including Green Jays, Plain Chachalacas, Harris’ Hawks, White-tailed Hawks, Olive Sparrows, Altamira Orioles, and Aplomado Falcons. Fall and spring bring migratory songbirds and Peregrine Falcons, and winter is the time to see Sandhill Cranes, White-fronted Geese, Redhead Ducks, and many other waterfowl. Visitors can connect with nature through various activities, including fishing, hunting, wildlife observation, photography, bicycling, and hiking. A Visitor Center with exhibits, restrooms, and a nature store is available. For more information, including hours of operation and tour schedules, please visit the website www.fws.gov/ refuge/laguna_atascosa or call the visitor center at (956) 748-3607 ext. 105, or (956) 244-2019. McAllen Nature Center Originally opened in 1960 as McAllen Botanical Gardens, the site reopened to the public as the McAllen Nature Center in 2013. Enjoy one mile of ADA accessible trails, winding through 20 acres of native thornscrub forest. The site is home to over 300 species of animals and 200 species of plants. Amenities include picnic tables, benches, drinking fountains, and restrooms. The McAllen Nature Center is located at 4101 W. Business 83, in McAllen. Open daily November through April, 8 a.m. to sunset, and May through October, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. to sunset. For more information, call (956) 681-3333. National Butterfly Center (NABA) The National Butterfly Center is open to visitors 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., 7 days a week. The premier location in the United States to experience the beauty of wild butterflies, the center is the reason USA Today calls Mission, Texas, “the butterfly capitol of the USA.” Hundreds of species have been documented here, where cultivated gardens and trails showcase the nation’s largest botanical collection of native plants that provide breeding and feeding habitat for butterflies, caterpillars, and birds. A perennial favorite among butterfliers, birders and nature photographers in general, the NBC is the easiest place to get great shots of many South Texas specialty birds, including year ‘round residents like the Green Jay, Clay-colored Thrush, Olive Sparrow, and Altamira Oriole. The National Butterfly Center is located in the NABA Section of the Lower Rio Grande Valley Wildlife Conservation Corridor, just one mile east of Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, at 3333 Butterfly Park Dr. For hours, rates, and special events, visit www.nationalbutterflycenter.org. For updates on recent bird, butterfly, and wildlife sightings, like the National Butterfly Center on Facebook. For additional information or to schedule group tours and activities, call (956) 583-5400 or email NBC@NationalButterflyCenter.org. Sabal Palm Sanctuary & Historic Rabb Plantation House The Sanctuary is home to many native species of plants and animals that reach the northernmost limit of their Mexican range here and do not occur elsewhere in the U.S. Cradled in a bend of the Rio Grande along the U.S./Mexico border, the Sanctuary harbors one of the most beautiful and critical ecosystems of South Texas and Northern Mexico. Sabal Palms once grew profusely along the edge of the Rio Grande in small stands or groves extending about 80 miles upstream from the Gulf of Mexico. Today, only a small portion of that forest remains, protected on 557 acres of this Sanctuary. Many Mexican species live in the forest including Green Jays, Plain Chachalacas, Great Kiskadees, Least Grebes, and Buff-bellied Hummingbirds. Sabal Palm Sanctuary offers over three miles of nature trails leading through the old-growth palm grove and even down to the Rio Grande River. They also have a long wetlands boardwalk and six observation areas. The Historical Rabb Plantation House, which now serves as the headquarters and visitor center for the sanctuary, was built in 1892. The Rabb House is one of the few remaining examples of the Rio Grande’s plantation legacy. The Sanctuary is open daily 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed on Wednesdays and some holidays). Daily admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children (12 and under). There are also 12-month memberships available, $45 for family and $25 for individual. From U.S. 77/83 turn left on International Blvd., then turn right onto Southmost Rd. (FM 1419). Continue for six miles and look for Sabal Palm Grove Rd. on the right, the Sanctuary is located at the very end of the paved road at 8435 Sabal Palm Grove Rd., Brownsville. For information call (956) 541-8034, email gsfinc@gmail.com, or go online to www.sabalpalmsanctuary.org. Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge The Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, located south of Alamo, has over 2,000 acres of land dedicated to the preservation of native plants and animals of the Rio Grande Valley. Known worldwide as a “birder’s paradise,” many rare birds have been spotted at the refuge including some tropical species that come no farther north in the U.S. Bird watchers have documented over 400 species of birds - the second highest total of any National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge has over 12 miles of walking trails with observation decks and photo blinds for wildlife watchers and nature enthusiasts alike. The refuge hosts lush subtropical vegetation that provides habitat for 300 American butter-
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