Cook County Jail inmates care for vulnerable monarch butterflies
CHICAGO (CBS) – Conservation is probably not the first word that comes to mind when thinking of the Cook County Jail, but inmates there are doing their part to save a beloved butterfly.
CBS 2's Noel Brennan showed us a habitat inmates are nurturing for the monarch.
Within the confines of the Cook County Jail, Parrish Livingston finds a plot of freedom in the flower garden.
"It's therapeutic, I guess you could say," Livingston said. "Just to be able to get out here in the sun."
He added, "It's a great way for us to be able to get out and get our fresh air. You know, probably get a little exercise in if need be."
He and others in custody care for plants, flowers, and produce as part of the jail's urban farm program.
"The best therapeutic experience that we have to offer here, to be honest with you," he said.
The inmates are nurturing not only the gardens but the new residents who are at risk.
"The monarch butterfly is such a beautiful species in itself," Livingston said. "As you can see, they're out here in abundance. You wouldn't be able to tell that they are ... almost endangered species as they are.
Monarch numbers have been declining for decades, and the butterfly could end up on the endangered species list, which caught the eye of the Cook County sheriff.
"Literally, this is because I read an article and I was like, 'Well, let's do it,'" Sheriff Tom Dart said. "And we did it."
In February, inmates planted milkweed, the only plant on which a monarch will lay eggs and a caterpillar will eat.
"Sure enough, we've seen a lot of monarch butterflies that we otherwise would not have seen," Dart said.
Livingston said there are "about eight butterflies, probably even more once they come flying out. They're almost surrounding me, and I love it."
It's a view he could get used to.
"I'm hoping to be able to actually get a job in gardening, maybe for a botanic gardens or something of that nature," he said.
Parrish feels as if he's giving the monarch, and himself, a fighting chance to flourish.
