A haven for monarch butterflies

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Nationally, mainly because of a loss of habitat and changing weather patterns, the North American population of monarch butterflies has declined by as much as 90 percent. Monarchs an iconic presence in the summer in the United States, and there is a concerted countrywide effort to bring the populations back to the previous level.

In partnership with Triangle-based chemical company BASF, a corps of volunteers organized by Lonnie Poole Golf Course Director of Maintenance Brian Green planted more than 1000 milkweed plants and several thousand wildflowers in low-traffic areas of the Lonnie Poole Golf Course to become a habitat for the distinctive orange and black butterflies.

Monarchs thrive around common and butterfly milkweed for summer forage and as a larval feeding site. Both were planted, along with a mixture of wildflowers, by a band of dozens of volunteers that included administrators, students, alumni and BASF employees, among the native grasses that make LPGC a sustainability success story.

Read more about the project as told by The News and Observer.