Iowa, along with Minnesota, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, is working to improve pollinator habitat along Interstate 35, a key migratory corridor for monarch butterflies. With proper plantings, the I-35 corridor can provide refuge and food for monarch butterflies and other pollinating insects.
The goal is to ensure that Monarch butterflies and other pollinators are able to thrive, which ultimately benefits our food sources.
Monarch butterflies born in late summer or early fall migrate south to winter in Mexico. In the spring, the butterflies return to the southern U.S. and lay eggs. Successive generations of Monarchs continue moving north which takes them along the I-35 corridor and into Canada. These Monarchs begin the cycle over again by completing a 2,000 mile trek back to Mexico.
More on the pollinator strategy is available at www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/05/19/announcing-new-steps-promote-pollinator-health.