The Nature Center’s master gardeners grew milkweed and our partners at Post Properties have purchased mature plants for distribution. We have currently distributed hundreds of plants, and we are continually sourcing more plants. Further, Post Properties has already pledged to plant Milkweed Gardens at all of their properties in Atlanta, Charlotte, and Raleigh and has developed a design for implementation.
The UPS Foundation has partnered with the Nature Center for the project and has committed more than $15,000 towards purchasing plants and educational materials to help further raise awareness of the troubling decline of the monarch population.
To extend the reach of the program, the staff of the Nature Center collaborated with the Dunwoody elementary schools to educate them about the issue at hand, and bring the experience into the classroom with butterfly rearing kits, grow racks, seeds, and other instructional items. In addition, we provided them with plants, and together planted them at the schools and in the fall will bring curriculum into the classroom that celebrates monarchs, raises awareness, and inspires the families affiliated with the schools and beyond to plant milkweed at home. We are currently still seeking additional funding to bring this program throughout the metro Atlanta region and, eventually, the state of Georgia and beyond.
The Nature Center recently received its Monarch Waystation certification http://www.monarchwatch.org/waystations/ -for the entry garden that was installed as part of our front entrance renovations (that also included an ADA accessible entry ramp and a newly constructed entry plaza). This major feature of the Nature Center was planted with native plants, pollinators, hardscape, and of course, milkweed. An interpretive sign concerning the monarch butterfly and information on developing a pollinator garden for homeowners will also be a component of the garden.
The City of Dunwoody has committed to support the Milkweed Project by allocating space in each of the city parks for milkweed (Park locations for Milkweed Project: Brook Run Park Community Garden Area, Windwood Hollow Park, Dunwoody Park, Georgetown Park, Donaldson Bannister Farm, Vernon Oaks Park, and the future Park on Pernoshal Court), and working with the Nature Center on an education campaign with the city landscaping staff to eliminate the use of Roundup in these areas. The Nature Center will provide educational signage about the issue in each of the milkweed planting areas. In addition, the city announced a resolution from council in support of the project, officially marking the beginning of the campaign. The Dunwoody Homeowners Association and Bill Grant Homes have also agreed to incorporate milkweed into their Adopt-a-spot locations.
Our annual Butterfly Festival, now in its 22nd year, is the largest single event at the Nature Center with recent crowds of over 3,000 from across the southeast. As the signature event of the Nature Center, we use this day of entertainment to fulfill our mission to educate all ages about the wonders and fragility of our natural environment. Attendees get an up-close look at one of Nature’s most beautiful and delicate species as they enter the butterfly tents and watch hundreds of butterflies feed on nectar producing plants and fruits. This is a prime opportunity to promote the project and distribute milkweed plants and seeds.