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Peanuts, Plains, and Pollinators (file)

Overview: How did President and Mrs. Carter’s interest in wildlife and the natural world collide with the world of pollinators and butterflies?

President Carter grew up on a farm near Plains, GA where animals and plants were a central focus. Mrs. Carter grew up in the town of Plains, GA, where in their yard her mother grew traditional Southern flowers like Zinnias and Marigolds – which very likely attracted butterflies. Her father asked her to pull up milkweed growing along the fence that kept in their milk cow. The cow would eat the milkweed and make the milk taste sour because of the bitterness found inside the milkweed plant. Many years later, Mrs. Carter wanted to provide a habitat for butterflies and other pollinators, so she created the Carter Butterfly Trail, which starts with about a dozen gardens all around Plains. The first garden was established at the home of President and Mrs. Carter and features milkweed, which is the host plant of the Monarch butterfly along with a variety of flowering nectar plants.

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Type: Audio

Jimmy Carter Boyhood Farm memories (Stewardship)

Jimmy Carter describes his appreciation of the earth and the importance of honoring nature’s gifts by preserving the land and sustaining wildlife habitat for future generations to enjoy.Credit: Audio featured at the Jimmy Carter Boyhood Farm in Plains, Georgia.

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Type: Post Message from President Carter

Stewardship

“I have never been happier, more exhilarated, at peace, rested, inspired and aware of the grandeur of the universe and the greatness of God than when I find myself in a natural setting not much […]

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Type: Link

Monarch Joint Venture

A nonprofit organization that supports a national partnership of federal and state agencies, nonprofits, community groups, businesses, and academic programs working together to conserve monarch butterflies and other pollinators. The MJV focuses on habitat conservation, education, science and building partnerships.

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Type: Link

The Monarch Larva Monitoring Project

A citizen science project involving volunteers from across the United States and Canada in monarch research. Volunteers collect long-term data on larval monarch populations and milkweed habitat. The project focuses on monarch distribution and abundance during the breeding season in North America.

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Type: Link

Journey North

provides an easy entry point to citizen science, with simple protocols, strong online support, and immediate results. Reported sightings, including monarchs, are mapped in real-time as waves of migrations move across the continent.

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