Missourians
February, 2016
for Monarchs
Moniker Migration—
New Statewide Collaborative Adopts Our Name and Logo
Starting this spring, the name Missourians for Monarchs will become the name for the
collaboration between state and federal agencies, utilities, foundations, agriculture
organizations, landowners, agribusinesses and academia in Missouri that was formed
last fall to focus on large-scale expansion of monarch and pollinator habitat across the
state by integrating planning and goal setting.
“Going forward,
we will focus our
efforts solely on
helping Master
Naturalist
Chapters, Master
Gardener
Chapters and
Garden Clubs
work together to
improve
pollinator habitat
in their
communities.”
Bob Lee
Members of this collaborative voted to assume the Missourians for Monarchs name
and logo to signify the partnership of these individual entities working together to
benefit monarchs and other pollinators in Missouri.
“We are happy to see the name fly higher,” said Bob Lee. “And we are very pleased
that these influential and impressive private and public collaborators will put their
resources into expanding communication, education and outreach efforts to the
public well beyond what we, as an all volunteer group, can do. Moreover, these
organizations control huge tracts of land that can be turned into habitat.”
Missourians for Monarchs - Naturalists and Gardeners
With the name change, the “old” Missourians for Monarchs will continue to be
represented by Bob Lee as a member of the new collaboration, but will function
under the umbrella name: Missourians for Monarchs - Naturalists and Gardeners.
“Going forward, we will focus our efforts solely on helping Master Naturalist Chapters,
Master Gardener Chapters and Garden Clubs work together to improve pollinator
habitat in their communities,” said Bob Lee. “Our large database of partners will be
turned over to the new organization (save for the aforementioned Naturalist and
Gardener groups) along with the name, gmail account and such things as the
Facebook page and blog that carry the Missourians for Monarchs name. By focusing
on Naturalists and Gardeners—key groups of volunteers recognized by the broader
collaborative—we can better serve local communities.”
It is anticipated that the “new” Missourians for Monarchs collaborative will soon have
a robust website where interested individuals can add themselves to an email list for
general information. Communication of relevance specifically to Master Gardener,
Master Naturalist and Garden Clubs will continue to come direct from Bob Lee.
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East-Central Missouri Partners Gear-up for 2016
Franklin County Master Gardeners have teamed up with the Miramiguoa Chapter of Missouri Master
Naturalists and private landowners to help monarchs. And they are energized!
It all started three years ago, when Arvil Kappelmann of Washington, Missouri attended a Missouri Prairie
Foundation event in St. Louis. There, Arvil heard a presentation by Chip Taylor of the University of Kansas, who
talked of Monarch butterfly numbers being down by 90% over the last twenty years.
That prompted Arvil to dig up five common milkweed plants from his farm and transplant them to his home
garden. The first year, those plants multiplied to seven, but the next year, there were more than fifty milkweeds
blooming in his yard.
That’s when Arvil asked a reporter with the
Washington Missourian newspaper to write a story
about the plight of the monarchs and tell readers
that Arvil would give away free milkweed seed.
“I got 125 calls,” said Arvil. “That’s when I thought
we might be able to do something big to help
monarchs.” What Arvil did was form a committee
with four others interested in habitat preservation
and invite people in the area to a monarch meeting.
Milkweed for Monarchs committee members.Karen Leslie, Elaine Pehle, Arvil
Kappelmann. Not shown is committee member Diane Brunworth
On December 5, 2015, around 30 enthusiastic
people showed up at a local church to hear
presentations about monarchs and milkweed.
Speakers included Carol Davit, Executive Director of
Missouri Prairie Foundation/ Grow Native!, Joyce
Oberle of the Missouri Master Naturalists and Terri
Brandt an educator at Shaw Nature Reserve, who
spoke about harvesting milkweed seed and
propagating it.
“We handed out both common and swamp
milkweed seed and took names and email
addresses,” said Arvil. And that’s how “Milkweed for
Monarchs of Franklin and Gasconade Counties”
took flight.
For 2016, the organizers have ambitious goals:
•
•
•
•
•
Joyce Oberle of Sullivan, Missouri, a Missouri Master Naturalist with the
Miramiguoa Chapter and a sought after speaker about monarch butterflies,
tells attendees about the monarch life cycle.
Promote awareness and educate the public
Continue milkweed distribution
Work with local Parks Departments to plant
milkweed
Email monthly newsletter to members
Double the number of members from 75 now on
their email list to 150
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And, in case you missed it on the Missourians for
Monarchs Facebook page, at left is the monarch-themed
Christmas tree created by the Franklin County Master
Gardeners for the Washington, Missouri Festival of Trees.
It includes hand-crafted monarch, chrysalis and caterpillar
ornaments, a tree topper of dried milkweed pods and
assorted natives. Milkweed
seeds and fluff enhanced 50
clear ball ornaments (right), and
one of the Gardeners created
coloring books of the monarch
life cycle, which were placed in
a basket under the tree and
free to children. Franklin County
Master Gardeners on the tree
committee include: Karen
Leslie, Tammy Poertner, Doris
Malone, Carol Crane, Sally
Bocklage and Marsha Riggs.
The Missourians for Monarchs Facebook page:
- Reaches more than 4,000 people every week
- Features photos and stories of our partner successes
around the state
MoDOT “Adopt-A-Highway” has Monarch Habitat Option
Missouri’s Adopt-A-Highway program has involved volunteers in roadside trash pickup since
1987. Did you know they also offer a Grow Native! option to encourage planting
Missouri wildflowers and grasses? Think pollinator habitat! MoDOT supplies signs, safety
vests, caution flags, safety video and safety tips for working along roadsides, and will work with
volunteers to determine mowing schedules that promote pollinators. Volunteers supply plants
and labor and agree to maintain the plantings.
Each MoDOT district has an Adopt-A-Highway coordinator and most have roadside
managers that would work with the group to find suitable locations and to work out the
details. If you are interested, please call 888 ASK MODOT (275-6636) and ask for the
Adopt-A-Highway coordinator for the area of interest. See also MoDotAdoptAHighway
You may also contact MoDOT’s senior roadside manager, Stacy Armstrong, who can point you in the
right direction. Stacy can be reached at 573-694-0399 or [email protected] .
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More Mayors Make Monarch Pledges
In 2015, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) launched an Urban Monarch Conservation program called the
Mayors Monarch Pledge to encourage communities to take steps to create habitat for monarchs and other
pollinators. The Pledge includes 24 recommended actions cities can take – from issuing a proclamation to
establishing pollinator-friendly landscape ordinances and changing city mowing schedules to promote monarchs.
In 2015, thanks to citizen initiatives, the Mayors of St. Louis and
Kansas City were some of the first mayors to pledge to undertake
many of the actions recommended. In 2016, we expect many cities
in Missouri to join in the effort.
To learn about the 24 actions contained in the Mayors Monarch
Pledge go to MayorsMonarchPledge
Of the 16 Mayors across the nation who have signed the Pledge with
an agreement to do 8 or more actions for monarchs, FIVE are from
Missouri: St. Louis, Kansas City, Herculaneum, Creve Coeur and
Chesterfield, Missouri. We know that many of our partners have
been instrumental in making this happen. Thank you.
The NWF also has a new “how to” guide for mayors, local government executives, municipal staff and others who
want to take action to protect monarchs. Go to: Guide If you are thinking about starting a Mayors Monarch
Pledge initiative in your community, the guide will prove helpful.
Master Gardener Mary Carey
Named Education and Outreach Lead
As soon as she retired from Boeing Company in 2011 after 31 years of service,
industrial engineer Mary Carey of St. Charles, Missouri, began Master Gardener
training. As a member of the St. Charles Master Gardeners, Mary has served as
perennial garden lead, Chapter President, Representative to the Missouri Master
Gardener Association, and this year, Mary is the leader of all garden leads.
Monarchs enable Mary to combine two interests. “I love
things that fly,” quipped Mary about her airplane-building
days at Boeing, “And I love plants.” Training and
communication, tracking progress and launching new projects are part and parcel
of Mary’s background. Mary also loves things that bark—two rescue dogs share
her home.
Mary would like to make contact with Master Naturalists, Master Gardeners and
Garden Club members who do monarch presentations to develop a speakers
bureau and a shared electronic repository of presentations and handout materials.
She is also looking into developing table top displays that can be shared as
needed for events. Mary has also agreed to be the primary source for information
about the Mayors Monarch Pledge for partners who wish to pursue that avenue in
their communities. Contact Mary at [email protected]
314-853-5380.
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Regional Coordinators Named
Missourians for Monarchs - Naturalists and Gardeners will be more effective in 2016 thanks to five talented
individuals who have accepted newly created roles as Regional Coordinators. The Regional Coordinator will
be the primary liaison between the Master Naturalist, Master Gardener and the Garden Clubs within specified
regions of the state and the project management team led by Bob Lee.
“Our effort to unite these groups in planting habitat to restore monarch butterfly and other pollinator habitat
took off unbelievably fast,” said Bob. “Now we need to turn the huge interest demonstrated into planting
lots of pollinator habitat. We must do everything possible to support the wonderful regional activities our
partners have instigated and we need to encourage collaborations between naturalists and gardeners and
make sure that their work is understood, valued and supported by the statewide efforts of public partners like
MDC, DNR and others.”
Regional Coordinators will work to achieve the following in their regions:
•
Build and maintain strong relationships and communication with MMN & MMG Chapters and
Garden Clubs within the region.
•
Maintain Chapter and Club awareness of Missourians for Monarchs goals and strategies.
•
Determine what assistance, if any, each Chapter and Club may need to build, expand and maintain
pollinator habitats and work with Project Management Teams to meet these needs.
•
Seek local sources of funds and grants aimed at regional outreach and habitat expansion.
And…get this…Regional Coordinators volunteer their time and talent! Who are these amazing people?
We will profile them in upcoming newsletters. For starters, meet Glenn Commons.
Glenn Commons, a Master Naturalist with the Lake of the Ozarks
Chapter is the Regional Coordinator for Pettis, Cooper, Moniteau, Cole,
Osage, Benton, Morgan, Camden, Miller, Manies, Hickory, Dallas,
Laclede and Pulaski counties. Glenn, retired from IBM and the Financial
Services Industry, became interested in helping pollinators after the
Master Naturalist Conference in 2015, where he learned of the plight of
the monarch. “At our Chapter meeting following the conference, I gave
an overview of what I had learned and solicited active interest from our
Chapter members,” said Glenn. “This resulted in our Chapter’s
sponsorship of four Butterfly Waystations: two at the School of the
Osage, one at the high school and one at the middle school. We got
kids involved at the schools, and, with teacher support, they pitched in
to plant the gardens and have maintained them by watering, weeding
and mulching.”
Glenn helped establish a way station at Osage Beach City Park, and
other Chapter members established a way station at Laurie City Park. Both of these gardens are scheduled for expansion in 2016. Approximately twenty Lake of the Ozark Master
Naturalist Chapter members have directly participated in working on garden projects, and even more have
collected milkweed seed and planted milkweed and nectar bearing plants in their own gardens. In 2016, Glenn is looking forward to making contact with the Master Gardeners, Federated Garden Clubs and
other Garden clubs in his region. Reach out to Glenn at [email protected] (832) 326-8715.
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Regional Coordinators (continued)
Joyce Oberle, a Master Naturalist with the Miramiguoa Chapter and a Franklin County Master Gardener is the
Regional Coordinator for Franklin, Washington, Crawford and Phelps
Counties. She has become well-known for her interesting and
entertaining Monarch presentations, which she has been doing for the
last six years. Joyce estimates that she has given in the neighborhood
of sixty talks and classes about monarchs and milkweed to audiences of
all ages. Before she retired in 2005, Joyce, a nurse who also has a
Masters Degree in Gerontology, was Administrator of a 120-bed Skilled
Nursing Facility in Sullivan, Missouri.
For the last 18 years, Joyce has grown a variety of plants, including
milkweed, in her 17’ x 28’ greenhouse attached to her home. She
became fascinated with monarchs six years ago, began rearing and
releasing monarchs, and just recently visited the monarch reserves in
Mexico. “It’s a trip not for the faint of heart,” said Joyce of her trek to
the Oyamel fir forest reserves near Mexico City. “You get there by
horseback and on foot, and it’s very cold,” she said. “But it was simply
magical to see the monarchs.”
Joyce looks forward to working with Master Naturalists, Master Gardeners and Garden Clubs in the counties
within her region. Joyce can be reached at [email protected] (573) 259-2702.
Thus far, REGIONAL COORDINATORS have been named for the areas and counties listed below. If your
group is within one of the counties, please reach out to the appropriate coordinator and let him or her know your
pollinator plans, ideas, needs, and so on. If you simply want more information or help, these are your “go to” folks.
NE Region - Dan Getman [email protected] - Master Gardener - Kirksville, Missouri
Counties: Adair, Macon, Marion, Putnam, Randolph, Scotland, Sullivan
NW Region - David Laderoute - [email protected] - Master Naturalist/Master Gardener - St. Joseph, Missouri
Counties: Atchison, Nodaway, Worth, Hold, Andrew, Gentry, Dekalb,
Buchanan, Clinton, Harrison, Daviess and Caldwell
E. Cent. Region - Joyce Oberle - [email protected] Master Naturalist/Master Gardener - Sulllivan, Missouri
Counties: Franklin, Washington, Crawford and Phelps.
Metro KC Region - Mary Nemecek - [email protected] Master Naturalist - Kansas City, Missouri
Counties: Platte, Clay, Ray, Jackson and Cass.
Mid-Mo Region - Glenn Commons - [email protected] Master Naturalist - Lake Ozark, Missouri
Counties: Pettis, Cooper, Moniteau, Cole, Osage, Benton, Morgan,
Camden, Miller, Manies, Hickory, Dallas, Laclede and Pulaski. Note: We are seeking Regional Coordinators for all counties NOT covered by the individuals listed above.
Please contact Bob Lee at (314) 496-5332 if you are interested in volunteering.
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Spring Planting is Just Around the Corner
Got milkweed seeds? Plan to propagate? Have a greenhouse? Early February is the time to sow seeds in
greenhouses for later transplanting outside. Once
seedlings have reached desirable size and vigor for
transplanting, it is ideal to move them from the
greenhouse to a shade house to allow them to
acclimate to outdoor environmental conditions for a few
days before being transplanted after the threat of frost
has passed.
Feedback suggests that milkweed seedlings are
intolerant of root disturbance. Transplant shock can be
minimized by propagating seedlings in biodegradable
peat pots, which can be planted directly into the
ground.
There are many online resources for planting monarch gardens and
waystations, and February is the perfect month to read and plan.
The Xerces Society has a wonderful resource focusing on pollinator plants of
the Central US that discusses appropriate milkweed species for particular
habitats and best planting practices: Milkweeds of Central US
Also from Xerxes Society: Milkweeds: A Conservation Practitioner’s Guide
Missouri Department of Conservation has a great brochure about backyard
monarch gardens: Backyard Habitat for Monarch Butterflies
Also from Missouri Department of Conservation — two wonderful articles in
The Conservationist magazine:
The Plight of the Pollinator by Bill White, Plight of the Pollinator
Homegrown Milkweeds by Norman Murray Homegrown Milkweeds
If you are a landowner and want to establish or improve grassland habitat for
monarchs, cost-share programs are available from the Natural Resources
Conservation Service.
If you are interested in starting a school garden, Monarch Lab at the University
of Minnesota has several resources at: Monarch Lab School Gardens
Jane Riese plants milkweed at
Wayside Community Garden in
Normandy, Missouri
You can purchase seeds and plants from Grow Native! Professional Members
who are retail garden centers, nurseries, or see producers. Find seed plant
vendors at Grow Native! Resource Guide and note which businesses sell retail,
wholesale, and/or mail order.
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Please send photos and stories about your club or
chapter monarch activities to
[email protected].
Follow our Facebook page for great information about
milkweed, monarchs and other pollinators.
NATURALISTS & GARDENERS
A collaboration between
Missouri’s Master Naturalists,
Master Gardeners and
Garden Clubs
united in an effort to
plant milkweed and nectar plants
to support monarch butterflies.
Partners share planting and seed
source information and
collaborate in
education and outreach.
Please update your chapter or club’s contact
information this month. We want to capture name
and email addresses for the presidents and monarch
leads for all MMN and MG chapters and Federated
Garden Clubs or other Garden Clubs who are, or who
wish to partner with Missourians for Monarchs Naturalists and Gardeners. We hope these
individuals will share our newsletters and other
information with their groups as they see fit.
Thank you for all you do for monarchs and other
pollinators.
Communications Team
Monarch Merchandise Available
Designer Beth Caldwell has created some interesting and
fun monarch merchandise AND will donate 15 percent of
sales to Missourians for Monarchs - Naturalists & Gardeners.
Some items say Missourians for Monarchs, others are more
generic.
See the items at:
WWW.BIT.LY/TANNADDILLY-MONARCHS
Confluence Chapter Master Naturalist Jayme Gribble is
modeling one of the shirts from Beth’s collection. This shirt
has the tag line on the back, “Show Me the Milkweed.”
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