“We’ll have to be a little spry on rocks, but you can do it,” said Bill Corey, 66, as he approached the creek leading up to Sennett Hole. A few moist and slanted rocks created a sparse path across the stream, but he was not discouraged.
An Eno State Park regular, Corey came equipped with a wide-brim sun hat, two jars of homemade blueberry jam, and dozens of milkweed pods. He jumped from rock to rock, traversing the rippling creek to find the perfect sunny homes for his milkweed seeds. Corey’s mission is to save monarch butterflies, the iconic orange and black species now at risk for extinction.
Through the “Milkweed for Monarchs” effort in collaboration with the Creation Justice Committee of Durham’s Pilgrim United Church of Christ, Corey invites other Durham residents to plant local native milkweed throughout the community. Monarchs need the plant —which has rapidly disappeared as farmers increasingly relied on herbicides —to survive, as it’s their food source and egg-laying location. Therefore, replanting milkweed along the monarchs’ east coast migratory route is one of the best ways to aid repopulation…