On Oct. 1, 2014, friends, family, and volunteers from Trees Atlanta and the De Roode Lab at Emory University gathered at The Carter Center for a formal dedication of the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Pollinator Garden in honor of the president’s 90th birthday.
The garden is filled with flowers and plants native to Georgia and is part of the Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail, developed by the former first lady to draw attention to the plight of endangered monarch butterflies. Volunteers from Trees Atlanta and the De Roode Lab at Emory University, which provided the seedlings for the garden, will help monitor and maintain its plants. The garden is certified by Monarch Watch as an official monarch way station, and is listed as a certified wildlife habitat of the National Wildlife Federation. The garden features milkweed, the host plant monarch butterflies need to complete their life cycle, and a variety of plants that can host Georgia’s state butterfly, the tiger swallowtail. An array of nectar plants also will appeal to other pollinator species, particularly bees and wasps, and birds.
The pollinator garden at The Carter Center is free and open to the public every day.
Jimmy Carter 