MONARCH WATCH -- the Texas population could grow by 
some 350-million this month ... we'll explain just ahead on 
Passport to Texas. 
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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife ... 

It's estimated that some 350-million monarch butterflies 
will arrive in Texas as part of an annual fall migration to 
Mexico.

"They hit the Panhandle and the Red River in mid September ... they'll hit 
Central Texas in the first week of October. The best place is actually along 
the western portion of the state. They're not common in East Texas and 
along the coast." 

Mike Quinn is an invertebrate biologist for Texas Parks 
and Wildlife. Monarchs make the long trip, surviving on 
nothing more than flower nectar. And yes, there is a 
visual difference between the males and the females ... 

"The male monarch has black spots in the middle of the upper side of the 
side wings and females lack those." 

The Texas Parks and Wildlife's Monarch Watch program 
enlists the services of more than 500 volunteers to help 
collect data on the species during its migration.

"We recruit volunteers of all ages and backgrounds all across the state, and 
we have over 500 people that keep calendars, that's the one of the most 
helpful bits of information that people collect for us." 

Volunteer information is available on the Texas Parks and 
Wildlife Web site. That's our show for today. For Texas Parks 
and Wildlife, I'm Cecilia Nasti.