Bill Text: TX HCR69 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Designating the city of Jasper as the official Butterfly Capital of Texas.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2015-06-10 - Signed by the Governor [HCR69 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-HCR69-Enrolled.html
| H.C.R. No. 69 | ||
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| WHEREAS, The annual migration of the monarch butterfly, the | ||
| State Insect of Texas, is one of the wonders of the natural world, | ||
| and every year the city of Jasper is fortunate to have a front row | ||
| seat to this spectacular journey; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Each August and September, members of the species, | ||
| known scientifically as Danaus plexippus, begin a journey of | ||
| approximately 1,500 miles from their summer breeding grounds in | ||
| eastern North America to their winter home in the mountains of | ||
| central Mexico, generally covering 25 to 30 miles per day; then, | ||
| between March and June, the butterflies return north, often | ||
| traveling as far as Canada; along their flight northward, and after | ||
| the monarchs reach their summer haunts, the female of the species | ||
| lays her eggs on freshly sprouted milkweed plants; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Jasper lies in the middle of one of the three major | ||
| flyways for the monarch butterfly, and the community celebrates its | ||
| part in this annual event with the Butterfly Festival on the first | ||
| Saturday of each October, during the height of the fall migration; | ||
| during the festival, a Butterfly House is installed in the | ||
| Butterfly Gardens at the Jasper Arboretum, where visitors can learn | ||
| about the migration and life cycle of these amazing insects; the | ||
| festival also features a variety of activities for children and | ||
| adults, including scavenger hunts and butterfly releases, as well | ||
| as musical performances and displays of arts and crafts; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The Butterfly Festival is part of an even broader | ||
| local effort focused on the monarch butterfly; residents of Jasper | ||
| have devoted countless hours to fostering our understanding of | ||
| monarchs and to creating conditions to support their survival; led | ||
| by the city's Master Gardeners, they are tagging monarchs for | ||
| scientific study, raising monarchs for release, planting milkweed | ||
| where the butterflies can lay their eggs, and growing a variety of | ||
| nectar plants to provide the monarchs with suitable food; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Each year, the people of Jasper are fortunate | ||
| witnesses to one of the grandest shows in nature, and by creating a | ||
| welcoming environment for these beautiful creatures, they help to | ||
| make their community an integral part of a wonderful natural | ||
| process that has endured for millennia; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the 84th Legislature of the State of Texas | ||
| hereby designate the city of Jasper as the official Butterfly | ||
| Capital of Texas. | ||
| White of Tyler | ||
| ______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
| President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
| I certify that H.C.R. No. 69 was adopted by the House on May | ||
| 5, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 139, Nays 2, 4 present, not | ||
| voting. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
| I certify that H.C.R. No. 69 was adopted by the Senate on May | ||
| 20, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Secretary of the Senate | ||
| APPROVED: __________________ | ||
| Date | ||
| __________________ | ||
| Governor | ||
