Mayor's Monarch Pledge
Springfield, Missouri is now, officially, a Monarch-friendly community! On Thursday, March 9, 2017, Mayor Bob Stephens read a proclamation committing Springfield to efforts to save the Monarch. Specifically mentioned was removing Milkweed (Asclepias spp) from the city's "Noxious Weed" ordinance.
Several people worked together to make this proclamation a reality. And over the years some landscapers, biologists, gardeners, and butterfly enthusiasts worked independently to create habitat for Monarchs and other native Missouri Wildlife.
In fact, Springfield is blessed to host the only native butterfly house in Missouri. The Dr.
Bill Roston Native Butterfly House is open during the summer and provides visitors an opportunity to see several native butterfly species in various life-cycle stages. Right next to the Butterfly House is the Native Caterpillar Cafe (the only one I know of anywhere!) which features host plants for native Missouri butterflies. Both of these endeavors educate visitors about the needs of the native butterflies and ways each one of us can take steps to preserve them.
As part of the effort to create habitat for Monarchs, Springfield City Council approved creating two Monarch habitats on traffic islands on Sunset street. These will be planted sometime during the summer. Springfield received grants from the Missouri Department of Conservation for this project.
According to the article in the Springfield News-Leader,
(Director of Public Works Dan) Smith said enhancing the traffic islands with wildflowers is an extension of the South Creek restoration project, which involved tearing out a concrete stream bed." I've been following the restoration project on South Creek. While it caused a great deal of concern and consternation during the construction phase, the project is well on its way to providing much healthier stream and stream bank habitat for all the wildlife there.
NatureHood loves pollinators and hosted the Butterflies and Bee Celebration events
for three years at Cherry and Pickwick. This event is morphing into smaller and more diverse programming, but the emphasis on native Missouri species remains the core. In addition, I've planted several native plant gardens in several locations and schools in central Springfield, and hope to expand to at least one other school very soon. These are efforts which strive to educate families about the importance of the daily decisions we make and the impact they have on our environment.
Monarchs are only one of thousands of species worldwide facing serious survival issues. Earth has not experienced a mass extinction rate like this in millions of years. As one individual I cannot help all the species facing extinction, but I can do my part to help as many Missouri wildlife species as possible. That is why I am committed, and NatureHood is committed, to creating as much wildlife-friendly habitat within the city as possible, and to encourage other individuals and businesses to join in the effort. The old saying is "it takes a village to raise a child." It also takes a village to resolve to take action to save our native wildlife.
I hope you'll join us on this journey. Blessed Be!