Halifax County is set to become a corridor for the migrating monarch butterfly, of which four generations make a trek from Mexico to Canada, the fourth generation migrating back to Mexico to renew the cycle.
It is an effort led by a group of enthusiasts with backing from the Friends of the Roanoke Canal Trail, Halifax tourism, Dominion Power, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and Halifax Community College.
The partners in the project will be seeking volunteer help this summer when it comes time to plant milkweed plants, which the monarchs thrive on, as well as broadcasting seeds to help boost the quail population along the Canal Trail, said Tina Gregory, one of the partners.
(For more information contact Mrs. Carter at 252-535-4263)
The project will not be limited to the Canal Trail, Gregory said. Retired businessman Fletcher Carter, whose wife Jean is also instrumental project, will be contacting farmers and encouraging them to plant the milkweed. Milkweed will also be planted at Medoc Mountain State Park.
“The population of the monarch has plummeted over the past few years,” Mrs. Carter said this week as the group checked out an area of the Canal Trail where three varieties of milkweed will be planted.
The decline of the butterfly is believed to come from deforestation in Mexico, recent bouts of severe weather there, and the growth of herbicide-based agriculture destroying milkweed in the Midwest.
The monarch butterfly.
The number of acres the butterflies use for hibernation in Mexico has dwindled from 44.9 in the late 1990s to 1.65 acres as of last year.
It takes at least four generations of monarchs to reach Canada, Mrs. Carter said. “The last generation heads back to Mexico.”
Milkweed is important , she said, because it is the sole source of food for the caterpillars, and the adults lay eggs on the plant.
HCC is storing 20,000 seeds in its greenhouse, said Peggy Lynn, of the college.
The orange area shows where the milkweed will be planted on the trail. The yellow is for quail habitat.
“This is so thrilling the different partners that have stepped up,” said Gregory, who became interested in the butterfly through her sister-in-law, who raises them in California, and through a New York Times article. “This is the only migrating butterfly. We don't want to lose this marvelous phenomena. Without food, the monarch can't survive.”
Once the milkweed is planted, Gregory said, the areas will become certified as Monarch Way Stations.
The planting is expected to begin in mid-June. That is when the partners will need the help. “We're encouraging people to come forward. It's important for the little pieces to come together. It means everyone has to work together.”
For Lori Medlin, president and CEO of the Halifax Convention and Visitors Bureau, the project is another way to market the area. “When Tina described the migration, I wanted to be a part of it and to see the beauty of it.”