Wake Forest becomes first town in NC to be recognized for commitment to preserving monarch butterflies

WAKE FOREST, N.C. (WTVD) -- Wake Forest received a special designation, the first of its kind in North Carolina, for its commitment to monarch butterflies.

Wake Forest has been designated the first "Monarch Town USA" in the Tar Heel State.

Nearly a billion monarch butterflies have vanished since 1990. Experts believe it's because milkweed and nectar plants, which monarchs use as food and habitat, are disappearing across America.

Monarch City USA is a non-profit group that works with cities and towns to help them plant and preserve milkweed and nectar plants--which can in turn reverse the decline of monarch butterflies.

Wake Forest's butterfly garden, located in E. Carroll Joyner Park on Harris Road, recently received signage identifying it as a butterfly habitat.