PLAINS, Ga. (WRBL) -- They were cleaning up Wednesday in downtown Plains. The street markings were getting fresh paint. And the flower beds were getting new pine straw.
This comes less than a week after news broke that former President Jimmy Carter entered home hospice care.
One place that was getting a lot of attention was the Rosalyn Carter Butterfly Trail.
The butterfly trail was established in 2013 by Rosalynn Carter and her friend and neighbor Annette Wise.
Like many things with the Carters, it started as an idea that grew into something much more.
This started as a way to create habitat for Monarch butterflies heading north in the spring months and south in August.
It started on the Carter property and now Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail gardens can be seen throughout Plains.
“So, it began with that one garden," Wise said. "She was so excited about it when the first butterflies – that was February 2013 and in March and April we began to see butterflies and in April we saw Monarchs coming through. This is an area Monarchs migrate through on their journey north. And then they come back through here in August on their journey south to wintering spots.”
Wise is the founder and president of the Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail. A series of gardens designed to attract and protect the beautiful monarch butterfly.
Like many things with the Carters, it started as an idea that grew into something much more.
It started on the Carter property and now Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail gardens can be seen throughout Plains.
Tom Johnson, a retired landscaper and friend of the Carters, drives in from Harris County to help with the trail.
“We’re able to be a part of something much bigger than ourselves," Johnson said. "It is a simple way to help the Monarch butterfly. Their numbers are in decline. And we can actually do something to change that part of the world. It’s one of the things that I learned working for President Carter early on is we have a duty to better and change a part of the world we live in.”
And it has provided something pretty to look at.
“Flowers add a lot of joy to people," Wise said. "Children like looking at them. Adults like looking at them. We have people who come and sit on the benches and enjoy being downtown. And being in a small rural community.”
As volunteers work on the trail, Wise says it feels like the weeds are winning.
Johnson says that might not be a bad thing.
“Of course," Johnson said. "A weed is a plant we just haven’t discovered its value yet.”
More information on the trail can be found at www.rosalynncarterbutterflytrail.org.
0 Comments