Monarch butterflies migrating through Nebraska have a much needed place to rest, thanks to several men at the Omaha Correctional Center.
The facility has partnered with the Henry Doorly Zoo and the Nebraska Wildlife Federation to give monarch butterflies a place to thrive. They are doing it by planting three different varieties of local ecotype milkweed on facility grounds. Grounds Corporal David Moore, at OCC, is leading the project.
Adult monarch butterflies only lay eggs on milkweed plants, while larvae and caterpillars eat the leaves. Creating this habitat is essential because monarchs’ population numbers have declined 90 percent over the past two decades, according to Carolyn Butler, monarch butterfly and other pollinator program coordinator for the Nebraska Wildlife Federation.
“According to experts, the migration of the monarchs from southern Mexico to Canada crosses over approximately the eastern third of our state,” Butler said. “That’s why it’s important that we all step up and make a difference.”
Six incarcerated men took on this project under Moore’s leadership, first taking a 12-week class, which focused on the business elements of gardening, landscaping and personal development. They used the milkweed project as a main focus for learning. Students dissected plants to understand their anatomy before the class culminated with a final landscape design project.
After completing the course, the team began planting milkweed seeds in a greenhouse in March, moving them outside in late May. They saw their first three monarchs in early July, and numbers have only increased since then.
“It’s good to see things coming to fruition,” participant Ed Segura says. “It makes the yard look a bit nicer too.”