Two of our communities are now sanctuaries for butterflies! Residents at Merrill Gardens at Anthem (AZ) have been working hard to create a beautiful butterfly garden on their patio. They were able to procure a grant as part of the Southwest Monarch Study that gave them 20 plants to feed and attract the Monarch butterflies. They will eventually tag the butterflies from Merrill Gardens at Anthem! This will help to monitor the butterflies and preserve their habitats as they migrate in the Southwest on the way to Mexico. Check out these awesome pictures of the butterfly garden at Anthem.
The Southwest Monarch Study "is researching the migration and breeding patterns of monarch butterflies in Arizona and the SouthWestern United States. It was once believed that monarch butterflies East of the Rocky Mountains flew to the mountains near Mexico City for the winter and monarchs West of the Rockies flew to the coast of California. Through Fall tagging in the Southwest (Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Western Colorado), we have learned that this is not always the case. There is much more to learn about the wild monarch migration throughout the Southwestern states." We love the mission of the Southwest Monarch Study and are so proud to be part of it!
Merrill Gardens at Woodstock (GA) is also taking care of butterflies with a Certified Pollinator Garden on the Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail! Over the past six months, residents and team members worked with a volunteer Master Gardener to curate the stunning garden.
They will be attracting a wide variety of butterflies, including Monarchs, Orange Sulphur, Swallowtails, Painted Ladies and more. The public is invited to come and visit the garden, too!
We can't wait to learn more about this study as time goes on! Stay tuned to learn more.