ROSALYNN CARTER BUTTERFLY TRAIL

Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail at Lake Lure, NC

From roses to succulents, pollinator gardens to art installations, the Flowering Bridge at Luke Lure, in the mountains of western North Carolina, is a wonder of nature and testament to the volunteers who turned an abandoned bridge into a beautiful floral walkway.

The Lake Lure Flowering Bridge is a stop along the Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail, which begins in Plains, Georgia, at the home of President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter. The mission of the trail is to promote the full life cycle of butterflies common in this area with a special emphasis on the monarch.

Monarch butterfly.

When Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter learned of the struggling Monarch Butterfly population and threatened migration from North America to Mexico, she called on her neighbor and friend Annette Wise for advice on planting the right native plants in her garden.  When friends and neighbors in Plains learned what she was doing, they wanted to provide habitat in their gardens to help pollinators. Eventually, a "trail" started of butterfly gardens one house at a time, one church at a time, one library, one state, and so on.

The more butterfly gardens that exist, the greater the population of Monarch Butterflies, which have been so threatened for the past several decades primarily due to the removal of milkweed plants from farms and properties.  Monarch butterflies need milkweed on which to lay their eggs. Otherwise, the cycle of life for butterflies ends.  All pollinators benefit from native nectar and host plants. Find out more about the relationship between monarchs and milkweed at my earlier post on this blog.

On an informational board at the beginning of the bridge is a panel describing common butterflies of the area.

I visited the Flowering Bridge and learned about the Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail on a trip to North Carolina in August. I was pleased to see information about the Painted Lady Butterfly, the subject of my book BUTTERFLIES IN ROOM 6.  It was a rainy day and I didn’t see any butterflies, but I am sure that when the sun comes out, the garden will be full of them, feeding on nectar produced by the abundance of flowers.

You can read more about my visit to the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge at my travel blog The Intrepid Tourist.

All Text and Photos copyright Caroline Arnold

REMEMBERING CHILDREN'S BOOK ILLUSTRATOR ERIC CARLE (1929-2021)

Renowned children's book illustrator Eric Carle, most famous for his book The Very Hungry Caterpillar, passed away this week at the age of 91. In honor of his passing I am republishing my article written after a visit in 2017 to an exhibit of his work at the High Museum in Atlanta.

Picture Book Art Exhibit at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia

Colorful caterpillars greeted me as I entered the High Museum of Art through the revolving doors and made my way downstairs to view I See a Story: the Art of Eric Carle, a fascinating exhibit of author/illustrator Eric Carle’s work. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, a children’s classic, was published in 1969. The exhibit shows various factors in the creation of a lifetime of work since then. It is a delight for both adults and children.

The Very Long Train (a wordless picture book)

The art is hung low enough to be at eye level for most children and in the corner of the room there was a bin of Eric Carle’s books available for reading. Children could also play a “seek and see scavenger hunt” following a guide they could take home. For adults, and artists like me, it was fascinating to get a glimpse into Eric Carle’s working method. 

Sampling of art supplies

One display showed a sampling of papers, brushes and tubes of paint and another display had a photograph of him applying the paint to the paper with a broom to create unique patterns. 

Dummy page from Friends

I was particularly intrigued by samples of his artist’s dummies–the label noted that each book goes through many dummy stages.

Illustration from Have You Seen My Cat?

To date, Eric Carle has published 70 books for children, all illustrated with his signature style of art–cut paper collage created from pieces of colorful painted tissue paper. They are amazing. The exhibit at the High Museum of Art ended February 12th. You can see more art by Eric Carle at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA.

I SEE A STORY: The Art of Eric Carle at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta

Picture Book Art Exhibit at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia

Colorful caterpillars greeted me as I entered the High Museum of Art through the revolving doors and made my way downstairs to view I See a Story: the Art of Eric Carle, a fascinating exhibit of author/illustrator Eric Carle’s work. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, a children’s classic, was published in 1969. The exhibit shows various factors in the creation of a lifetime of work since then. It is a delight for both adults and children.

The Very Long Train (a wordless picture book)

The art is hung low enough to be at eye level for most children and in the corner of the room there was a bin of Eric Carle’s books available for reading. Children could also play a “seek and see scavenger hunt” following a guide they could take home. For adults, and artists like me, it was fascinating to get a glimpse into Eric Carle’s working method. 

Sampling of art supplies

One display showed a sampling of papers, brushes and tubes of paint and another display had a photograph of him applying the paint to the paper with a broom to create unique patterns. 

Dummy page from Friends

I was particularly intrigued by samples of his artist’s dummies–the label noted that each book goes through many dummy stages.

Illustration from Have You Seen My Cat?

To date, Eric Carle has published 70 books for children, all illustrated with his signature style of art–cut paper collage created from pieces of colorful painted tissue paper. They are amazing. The exhibit at the High Museum of Art ended February 12th. You can see more art by Eric Carle at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA.