Community Profile

Pledge Summary

The City of Greensboro, located in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, has a population of approximately 308,000 and manages nearly 12,000 acres of parks and open space. These assets include public gardens, regional and neighborhood parks, beautification areas, over 100 miles of trails and greenways, lakes, several community gardens, and numerous other passive and active recreational amenities and facilities. Through the establishment of multiple pollinator gardens and meadows, the development of educational signage and programming, and the recognition of an ongoing need to reduce mowing and increase native habitat, the City of Greensboro has taken steps to support its natural environment. Mayor Abuzuaiter has committed to protecting the monarch butterfly and other pollinators through the signing of the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge and looks forward to further engaging residents in expanding pollinator habitat throughout the city. The City has adopted a Native Plant Policy, requiring the use of native plants in new landscape plantings on City property and eliminating invasive species. Current efforts to support monarch habitat include the Bird & Butterfly Meadow at Price Park; pollinator gardens at Keeley Park Community Garden, Wovenworks Park, and the Meeting Place Cornerstone along the Downtown Greenway; a partnership with the Guilford County Extension Master Gardeners to provide environmental education; and multiple community partnerships supporting smaller pollinator gardens in parks. Additional extensive efforts by City of Greensboro involve partnering with Greensboro Beautiful at the Greensboro Arboretum, which features a formal butterfly garden, a certified Monarch Waystation, interpretive signage specifically dedicated to monarchs, and an ornamental grass and pollinator meadow. The pollinator meadow includes Asclepias among its perennial plantings and features interpretive signage dedicated to broader pollinator preservation. Monarch butterflies have declined significantly over the past 50 years, and through public education and targeted plantings, the Greensboro Science Center plays a critical role in helping conserve this species. Additional conservation and education efforts are led by the Greensboro Science Center, which maintains multiple butterfly gardens throughout the zoo and hosts the Cole Family Butterfly House and Monarch Conservation Project. The horticulture staff maintain these gardens with nectar-rich and host plants, supported by irrigation from rain barrels. The Cole Family Butterfly House and Monarch Conservation Project spotlights native butterfly species, with a special emphasis on the iconic, but declining monarch butterfly. The project creates a lush garden space that highlights the monarch's life cycle and conservation needs, serves as a focal point for the Science Center's Conservation & Research Department, educates the community about the importance of planting milkweed (the sole food source for monarch caterpillars), and provides a dynamic seasonal exhibit focused on pollinators and their ecological importance.