On Thursday, February 26, third graders at Clear Creek Elementary School participated in a “snow seeding” at their school’s outdoor classroom.  The seeding took place on a previously disturbed area near the outdoor classroom prairie. The students planted a pollinator seed mix with 33 species of “pollinator friendly” native prairie grasses and wildflowers.  The students also tossed hundreds of clay “seed balls” onto the area that they had made earlier.

By SETH BORENSTEIN WASHINGTON (AP) — Many species of wild bees, butterflies and other critters that pollinate plants are shrinking toward extinction, and the world needs to do something about it before our food supply suffers, a new United Nations scientific mega-report warns. The 20,000 or so species of pollinators are key to hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of crops each year — from fruits and vegetables to coffee.

We have three citizen pollinator gardens registered with Monarch Mania!  In addition, seven schools have signed up for pollinator garden plantings!  Mason City Hoover, Roosevelt, and Jefferson Elementary schools; Mason City Alternative High School; Clear Creek Elementary (Clear Lake); and West Fork Middle and High School will be planting or adding to their pollinator gardens this spring. Spring is not far away – plan your garden and help us get more habitat out there.

Dr. Chip Taylor, Director of Monarch Watch at the University of Kansas, was a guest keynote speaker at the Iowa Association of County Conservation Board Employees workshop in Waterloo on Wednesday, Jan. 20. Taylor is pictured talking to some of the audience after his talk. Some interesting tidbits from Dr. Taylor’s presentation: 90% of the overwintering monarchs in Mexico are hatched in the “cornbelt” area of the United States.  This includes ALL.