Over the past 20 years, it’s been estimated that the monarch butterfly population has declined by 90% due to the loss of their primary food source, milkweed, from deforestation and development. Park Pride, however, in partnership with dedicated community gardeners, the National Recreation & Park Association (NRPA) and Southwest Airlines, is doing our part to replant and rebuild the monarch’s natural habitat!
With the support of NRPA’s Parks for Monarchs program, funded by Southwest Airlines, Park Pride supplied four community gardens in City of Atlanta parks with the resources needed to boost their gardens’ ability to support pollinators with the addition of multiple species of pollinator plants.
The largest planting took place at the Freedom Park Poncey-Highland Community Garden where community gardeners worked side-by-side with Park Pride and Southwest Airlines volunteers to install a brand new pollinator garden, complete with 189 locally sourced native plants.
“Our garden,” explained Wendy Marcum, co-leader of the Freedom Park Poncey-Highland Community Garden, “relies on bees, wasps and butterflies for pollination, and because of the help of Park Pride and Southwest Airlines, our pollinator garden is an even sweeter destination for these insects!”
Kirkwoods Gilliam Park, Edgewood’s Walker Park and East Atlanta’s Brownwood Park also received plants through the Parks for Monarchs grant, thereby helping to create pockets of monarch-friendly gardens across the City.
For more information about Park Pride’s Community Garden Program, visit bit.ly/ppgardens.