Time to cut the cake and pop the champagne: Rosalynn Carter turns 95 today.
As this isn't just any ordinary birthday, Carter, the second-oldest U.S. first lady ever, will celebrate with butterflies.
You might be imaging a sweet lady sitting in the sunshine, surrounded by colorful, fluttering insects -- but that's not exactly what will happen.
The wife of former President Jimmy Carter has had a fascination with butterflies dating back to childhood. That interest led to the formation of the Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail near her home in Plains, Georgia. Carter was especially concerned about Monarchs and the future of butterflies, which are crucial for pollination.
"In 2013, she learned of the declining number of Monarchs and decided to have native milkweed included in her garden in Plains so Monarch caterpillars would thrive," the trail said on Facebook. "That garden was the inspiration in establishing the Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail. We now have public, private as well as school gardens registered on the trail."
The butterfly trail will use Carter's birthday to promote an annual statewide count of butterflies. The Great Georgia Pollinator Census is set for Friday and Saturday.
The trail has partnered with a number of organizations across the state to establish more habitat for pollinators, with an emphasis to include native milkweed for Monarchs. The statewide count will be an indication if their efforts are paying off.
The census involves choosing a pollinator plant that shows insect activity for counting. Participants -- including individuals, school groups, businesses, gardeners and families -- then count and identify the insects that land on the flowers of that plant for 15 minutes.
Wildlife experts argue that efforts such as Georgia's pollinator census are critical in observing the decline of butterfly populations.
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