Happy 2018

Courtesy of Alice Linhart (MEI member)

As we start this new year, make some plans to help our monarch butterflies.  Plan your pollinator gardens, order seeds and figure out the best time to plant them in pots, or to plant outside, pore over seed catalogs and order plants, update your monarch-rearing containers.  Lots to do!

One thing you might consider is adding YOUR yard to the Monarch Watch Waystation program.  Read about it at
www.monarchwatch.org/waystations/certify.html

Or, you might consider approaching your town council and mayor about taking the Mayor's Monarch Pledge.
www.nwf.org/MayorsMonarchPledge

Think about ways you can help expand knowledge about the plight of the Monarch Butterfly.  Could you give a presentation at your child's school, or a kids' club (girl scouts, boy scouts), or how about an adult club you may belong to or know of ... or for a neighborhood group (get them excited) or at your local library, or church group?

And ...it's not too late to do some Winter Sowing in containers.  Your milkweed will start growing when conditions are right, and you can then transplant them.

Or just take some time to explore monarch butterfly web sites on the internet ... learn learn learn!

Another year down

Thanks to Carla Knutson for this photo of the monarch
butterfly Christmas Tree she and her daughter created
for a festival of trees event.  MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Monarchs in Eastern Iowa facebook group members have done another WONDERFUL job of raising monarchs from eggs and caterpillars this year.  Although all the numbers may not be in yet, in 2017 they have so far raised and released over 6,100 monarch butterflies to fly south to Mexico to overwinter.  This compares to 6,280 in 2016, 3,075 in 2015 and 972 in 2014, the year we started our group.  So, in all, we've raised nearly 16,500 monarch butterflies!

This doesn't count all the eggs and caterpillars that members have given out to neighbors, organizations and friends to raise.  I think we are doing a fantastic job in our little corner of Iowa!

WINTER SOWING
It is time to think about winter sowing milkweed seeds.  For more information read an old post about winter sowing 

UPCOMING EVENT
Also find out about an upcoming fundraising event, Butterflies, Bees & Brews, Sunday, December 10th,1 to 4 p.m. at Contrary Brewing in Muscatine, put on by our friends, the Muscatine Pollinators group.  Muscatine native James Patchett will be a guest speaker to discuss sustainable rooftop gardens. An admission ticket includes one free drink stub.
Read the article   
Event Page:  Butterflies, bees and brews

FROM MONARCH WATCH - NEED SOME MILKWEED?
The Spring 2018 application is now open for habitat restoration projects located in the Monarch Milkweed Corridor.  This application is for large-scale (two acres or more) native habitat restoration only.  Read about this program

Monarch Watch still has funding for free milkweeds for schools and educational non-profits. This grant is separate from the above restoration grant and allows one free flat per qualified applicant, to be planted in a public garden:  Read about this program

Save milkweed seed

Photo credit to MEI member Dave Johnson

SAVE AUTUMN MILKWEED SEED FOR MONARCH WATCH!
Monarch Watch is seeking volunteers to collect wild native milkweed seeds for the Bring Back the Monarchs campaign. Thanks to the donations of over 90 seed sources from across the United States, Monarch Watch was able to distribute more than 50,000 native milkweeds this past spring. But they could have distributed more! 

For information on what seeds are needed and how to collect them, go to the following link:
http://monarchwatch.org/bring-back-the-monarchs/campaign/2014-campaign

Also, here is a video that explains how to collect milkweed seeds from pods.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhjkC1Mbzlg

And if you want to plant milkweed seeds in the ground this fall, you can read about it here.
http://monarchbutterflygarden.net/fall-planting-milkweed-10-steps/