The Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail Celebrates A Special Birthday

The Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail celebrated Mrs. Carter’s 94^th birthday on Friday, August 20^th in Plains, Georgia. During the event, they displayed the first drawing of a new garden to be planted in her honor. This garden will be located adjacent to her childhood home on South Bond Street in Plains and will be named the Rosalynn Smith Carter Childhood Garden.

We are honored to have a partnership with the Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail (RCBT) that is based in Plains just outside of our home in Americus. The Butterfly Trail is a program inspired by Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter to help increase habitat for Monarch butterflies. While the program is based in Plains, it has expanded throughout the United States as well as internationally.

As a young girl, Rosalynn Smith Carter played outside among the beautiful flowers and butterflies in her yard. This unique 1930s garden will reflect her memories of those special childhood days. The new garden will include plants from that era as well as provide nectar and host plants for butterflies.

The Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail has three primary goals:

Educate: Once a year the RCBT hosts their spring symposium in Plains, Georgia to educate the general public on what butterflies need to survive and how to plant butterfly-friendly gardens. This day program is comprised of presentations by experts in the field of gardening and organizations working to establish pollinator-friendly habitats.

Inspire: The Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail wants to inspire everyone to plant a butterfly-friendly garden – whether in a container, front yard, library grounds, school or at their place of business. They offer online information about creating a garden, videos on their site, and through their annual symposium.

Increase Habitat for Pollinators: Monarch butterflies help support critical ecosystems by feeding on nectar and pollinating wildflowers, propagating them, and making them abundant. The flowers Monarchs are attracted to are colorful and have flat surfaces where butterflies can rest and relax during their long migratory journeys. Monarch butterflies also serve as critical nourishment for small animals, birds, and other insects. Their existence touches our world in many ways contributing to systems of life that we often do not see.

Joining the trail is free and you can register your garden on their site. They will list your garden’s name on their website along with the city and state in which it is located. That way, everyone can see the collective efforts to improve the migration route of the Monarch Butterfly Trail. Gardens on the trail are owned and maintained by the organization or person that registered it.

The new garden is still in planning stages and will be installed incrementally as funds are raised. To be part of this special garden, please contact them at their website or 229-824-4567. You can also support them by buying a bag of the Cafe Campesino Butterfly Trail Blend. The next 50 people to order RCBT coffee will receive a commemorative seed packet to start their own butterfly garden