2018 Summer progress

MEI members are happily raising LOTS of monarch butterflies from eggs or caterpillars they find on milkweed plants.  This year was a surprise as eggs and "cats" started showing up in May, early for Iowa. The numbers of eggs we are finding in June and July is surprising and we have many new members (membership is over 1200 now). Some members are getting overloaded and offering eggs and cats up for adoption by other members. We should have a good tally of the numbers raised by MEI members by the end of September, or early October.

PRAIRIE MILKWEED AND THE MONARCH FESTIVAL   We have also added many members that are interested in adding various milkweeds and pollinator plants to their home gardens, and have several new members that have established prairies on their land.  One prairie man offered Indian Creek Nature Center his prairie with vast amounts of milkweed as a place to collect milkweed leaves to pass out along with monarch caterpillars to attendees of their Monarch Festival, held July 7, 2018.  A crew from the MEI group gathered the day before the festival to collect milkweed leaves at the prairie and put them in plastic bags, ready to give out at the fest. (Thank you Paul M.!)

Indian Creek gave out more than 200 monarch caterpillars during Monarch Fest.  MEI members were there to help, give instructions, answer questions, show various sizes of caterpillars via microscopes (kids loved it) and also to give out milkweed and pollinator plants to the public and encourage them to plant for monarchs.  The Monarch Research Project (Monarch Zones) was also present, showcasing their Monarch Bio Tents, and released hundreds of Monarch Butterflies in two sessions, much to the delight of kids and parents.

Fairfax Girl Scouts standing in back of their new Monarch Waystation garden.

THE TOWN OF FAIRFAX, Iowa, has added a Monarch Waystation and a Monarch Bio Tent to their local library grounds and their local girl scout group held a Monarch Fest on July 22nd.  MEI members were again present to help out, as was the Monarch Research Project. The girls gave away caterpillars, milkweed leaves and plants, and had a butterfly release.  Fairfax may soon be bursting with Monarch butterflies! Kudos to MEI member and girl scout leader, Audrey N. and her scouts for organizing this new event!