Monarch waystations are gardens that provide habitat for the monarch butterfly. Monarch Butterflies are considered a near-threatened species, so habitats like this are essential to their survival.  In an effort to help offset the loss of these butterflies along with other pollinators, the Woodford County Cooperative Extension Service and the Woodford County Conservation District, in partnership with The Woodford County Extension Master Gardeners, sponsored 20 grants for Woodford County residents. Each grant recipient received 10 plants (a value of $50) to plant at their residence in Woodford County. These plants were a combination of milk weed and nectar plants selected by the master gardeners.

The Monarch Grant Program was designed to encourage Woodford County residents to establish or expand Monarch waystations by planting native plants that will attract and sustain Monarch butterflies as well as other species of butterflies and pollinators. A Kentucky native plant nursery, Ironweed Nursery, provided the plants and conducted a class on native plants for Kentucky gardens, which was open to the public. Over 50 participants attended the class and purchased native plants that the nursery brought to sell in addition to the grant recipients plants. 

The gardens will be monitored over the next 3 years and pictures will be sent in by the recipients to assess their success. All of the recipients were very excited to start their gardens. One participants/grant recipient stated that “the recent presentation I attended at your office opened my eyes to the value of native plants, and changed my planting strategy.  Thanks again for hosting.”