The Rosalyn Carter Butterfly Trail works to help the monarch butterfly by increasing the habitat for this endangered species in the USA and in other countries.
The trail starts at the former First Lady’s home in Plains, Georgia. Years ago she planted a native green to help pollinators and eventually, her friends and neighbors in Plains joined in and planted monarch habitat in their gardens, too. Today, almost 1,000 public, private, and school gardens in the U.S. have registered to help the monarch by planting habitat for them.
The Raleigh area has a dozen public gardens listed on the trail, plus a number of private gardens. You can register your garden on the Butterfly Trail for free. The organization also hosts an annual symposium each year in Plains to educate the public about butterflies and what they need to survive. You can even purchase an official Butterfly Trail sign to show your garden is on the trail. For details, visit Rosalynncarterbutterflytrail.org.