The Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Garden Club has created an employee-led pollinator habitat. This garden has had native flowers for many years. This year, as part of DEQ’s sustainability efforts, milkweed was added to the garden. The garden is public-facing in downtown Oklahoma City in an area of high foot traffic. It is meant to be an educational attraction to those who walk past. We are looking forward to the continued care of this garden.
Two-tiered raised flower bed along our back fence, approximately 45′ long x 6′ deep. We have four 2’x2’x8′ raised rectangular beds (bottomless containers) along the back fence, and in front of those is a row of three 1’x2’x8′ oblong raised beds (also bottomless containers). We have filled the beds with Oklahoma Native Plants (95% are true native with only a few hybrids and others). Included are two plants each of three different species of milkweed: butterfly, purple and whorled.
I planted a 2000 square ft. monarch sanctuary garden including milkweed in the backyard in February. They are now attracting what I believe are monarch caterpillars. I just took a picture of my first one. No pesticides or herbicides are used in the backyard.
A garden designed for wildlife, birds and pollinators featuring many native flowers and grasses. It is a registered Monarch Waystation and Nat’l Wildlife Habitat. Includes a Native American and a European Settlers Herb Garden.
We have worked hard to add monarch and other pollinator friendly plants to our home garden. Such as 3 types of milkweed, black night butterfly bush, coreopsis, purple cone flower, indian blanket, zebrina mallow, yarrow, thistle, purple passion flower, vervain, and goldenrod. Along with pollinator houses and water stations.
Pollinator garden in rural Ada, Oklahoma
10 pollinator gardens at this golf course.
My 4-H project is Entomology. I have been speaking to groups of kids all year with my “Bug You for a Minute” talks about different insects but have been speaking to them most about the vulnerability of Monarchs, how to create a safe habitat and feeding ground for them, what they eat, how they migrate with Oklahoma in their path along with teaching groups of kids how to make a Wildflower seed bomb. I have been handing out bags of seeds to whoever will take them from me and asking them to plant. I provide them information about how to make the Monarch Pledge also. I won First place at the Oklahoma County 4-H Communication Contest and was asked to come to the Eastside Fresh Market this Fall, when it is time for Monarch migration to perform my speech again and to possibly provide the items to lead Fresh Market goers with making Wildflower Bombs to spread awareness and help the Monarch along. The date for this has not been set yet. I hope to possibly do something at the Oklahoma State Fair to raise awareness also. My speech is posted publicly on my mom’s Facebook page and is posted publicly. I have attached the link. Thank you for providing a way for me to practice leadership and citizenship.
Registered Monarch Waystation # 41864
Registered Pollinator Bee Friendly Garden # 2023000008.
Meadow with several raised flower beds.
And dedicated Milkweed section.
We manage our farm which grows tons of native milkweed & wildflowers in our 34 acres of mixed grass prairie pasture to time our hay harvests not cutting too early or too late to make sure the milkweed becomes available at the correct times of year, especially in the mid to late summer so there is a good amount for the returning trip. Never, ever spray anything ever at our farm. Also concentrate on wildflowers & our 3 rescue pot belly pigs maintain an acre of wildflowers which they root & cultivate every year resulting in an amazing area of wildflowers which are always heavily visited by monarchs especially in the fall. I would so love to share photos of their work & our farm.
