Vibrant native flowers are becoming a familiar sight at North Carolina Department of Adult Correction (NCDAC) facilities across the state. What began as a pilot program in partnership with the NC Wildlife Federation, the NCDAC Pollinator Garden Initiative has blossomed to 18 native gardens at correctional facilities, offices, and training locations across the state.
Each one is a thriving habitat for bees, butterflies and other pollinators, and features a selection of 70 native plants that bloom across three seasons. All are registered as “official pit stops” on the NC Wildlife Federation’s “Butterfly Highway,” a network of habitats designed to support wildlife and sustain natural ecosystems. Native plants are essential for providing the right food and shelter for NC’s pollinators to thrive. They give spaces for butterflies to lay eggs, caterpillars to feed, bees to nest, and monarchs to rest on their continental migration south.
NCDAC’s Pollinator Garden Initiative continues to grow thanks to the leadership of NCDAC Sustainability Land Use Manager Jacqueline Bilello, who has spent this spring and summer delivering new plants and supporting facilities as gardens expand and mature. At each location, people in custody work alongside staff members to maintain the gardens through watering, weeding, and ongoing care. At many facilities, the gardens are integrated into an accredited horticulture educational program offered by a nearby NC community college.
"Our pollinator gardens are so much more than pretty flowers," said NCDAC Sustainability Land Use Manager Jacqueline Bilello. "They provide a chance to make a positive impact on local ecosystems and a hands-on way to teach horticulture skills. They seem small, but anyone who is connected to the gardens feels as if they are contributing in a big way.”
This year, NCDAC is enhancing each site with garden-specific updates that visitors can access through QR codes displayed at each location. Anyone who stops by can learn more and see how the gardens continue to evolve over time.
“The Pollinator Garden initiative is just one example of NCDAC's ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship,” said Bilello. “We are a big agency, with lots of land and a statewide ‘footprint.’ Through our conservation and resiliency projects, sustainable land management programs, and energy-efficiency initiatives, we work to make a positive difference.”
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More info:
- Learn more about NCDAC's sustainability efforts on our website.
- Learn more about the NC Wildlife Federation’s Butterfly Highway here.
- Learn how to plant your own Pollinator Garden at the NC Wildlife Federation website.
