February 27, 2006

CONTACT: Josh Spradling or Katie Sternberg
1-800-CLEAN-TX

Plant the Seeds for Butterfly Gardening in Your Community!

Texas - (February 27, 2006 ) - Butterflies are one of Nature’s most beautiful and colorful creatures, and more than 400 butterfly species reside in Texas! Some butterfly populations have declined in recent years due to habitat loss and other factors. Now, you can help restore or improve natural butterfly habitats in our community, or make new habitat, by creating a butterfly garden.

Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB) and Guaranty Bank have partnered to raise public awareness of butterfly gardening and to provide assistance in creating butterfly habitat in Texas. Banking center locations in 38 Texas communities, along with KTB affiliate groups, are offering free seed packets of flowering plants important to butterfly species and bookmarks filled with fun butterfly facts. Additionally, entry forms are available to enter into prize drawings for butterfly gardening merchandise and cash prizes, including a $2,000 Grand Prize!! Free seed packets, bookmarks, and prize drawing entry forms are available at participating Guaranty banking locations March 1 – April 28, while supplies last.

Planting a butterfly garden is a great way to see more butterflies and to help with their conservation. Butterfly gardens can be any size – in container pots, part of a landscaped yard or park, or an untended section of your property.

In spring 2005, KTB and Guaranty Bank launched a pilot program to raise awareness about the Monarch butterfly, the official Texas state insect. The program’s success led to this year’s butterfly gardening educational campaign.

For more information on butterfly gardening or other Keep Texas Beautiful programs, please call 1-800-CLEAN-TX or visit www.ktb.org.

About Keep Texas Beautiful, Inc.

Keep Texas Beautiful, an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, is a non-profit environmental and community improvement organization whose mission is to empower Texans through education to take responsibility for enhancing their community environment.

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Participating Communities: