Local efforts continue to enhance the monarch butterfly population and more milkweed planting is under way.

This evening Friends of the Roanoke Canal Museum and Trail listened as Brian Bockhahn of the North Carolina State Parks told the audience about the project he is spearheading at Falls Lake as well general information about the butterfly, whose migration is currently listed as an imperiled.

Bockhahn, an interpretation education specialist for the North District Office, told the audience about the multi-generational migration of the species from Mexico to Canada and back again. “They follow rivers and mountain lines and ocean lines. They can follow the magnetic northern compass.”

Bockhahn's project at Falls Lake includes counting caterpillars along three monarch larvae monitoring sites where the caterpillars eat milkweed before their metamorphosis.

At Falls Lake their survival rate since 2002 is 45 percent, he said, where the average tends to be 35 to 40 percent.

In his studies he has observed unique trends such as the butterfly following Interstate 85.

“We encourage the planting of milkweed,” Bockhahn said. “It usually grows over everything else.”

Tina Gregory who, along with Jean Carter, has been working since last year on establishing a monarch butterfly way station in Halifax County said their efforts continue. “The project is going great. We've seeded 1,400 new plants.”

The group has found a new spot along the trail near the half-marathon turnaround to plant more milkweed, “Where people can look at it. We hope to do caterpillar counting and tagging.”

Gregory and Carter's interest in the program has led them to lead discussions on the topic in Edenton and Tarboro. “We're hoping to to work with Medoc Mountain State Park.”

The pair will be looking for help in the next phase of planting at the end of May. “It's very exciting. We've planted 26,000 plants at 21 different sites.”

For more information on the program contact Carter at 252-678-0802 or Gregory at 252-452-1920.