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trees unloaded at the MRS

30,000 Trees!

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The Monarch Research Project is providing trees to EVERY school employee across Linn and Benton counties!  Nearly 8,000 native Iowa trees will be planted this October. All trees are free of charge and will be delivered to school sites in mid-October. Employees at 15 school districts and the Grant Wood AEA selected trees from 25…

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October is Monarch and Milkweed Month: get free seeds!

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In recognition of October being named “Monarch and Milkweed Month” in Cedar Rapids, residents are invited to request free milkweed seed through a mail-in giveaway. Cedar Rapids Mayor Brad Hart signed the National Wildlife Association’s Mayors’ Monarch Pledge in 2021. More than 600 mayors across the nation have signed the pledge. The pledge commits the…

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Planting Forward Unity Point

Planting Forward: Spring Recap

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In April we launched the first Planting Forward efforts in Linn County. We partnered with several organizations, including Unity Point Health Systems, Mercy Hospital, and Linn County & Conservation to distribute thousands of trees to their employees and friends. We are grateful to to the Unity Point/St. Luke’s Foundation for their continued input as we develop…

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winter sowing

Winter Milkweed Sowing

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Mike has been drinking a lot of milk! And he’s doing spring work. Here are his steps for using gallon or half gallon sized milk jugs for winter sowing of milkweed: Steps 1-4 Step 1: Wash/Rinse a gallon or half-gallon sized milk jug (our images show a gallon size) Step 2: take a Sharpie and…

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OutdoorLifecycleKit

Outdoor Monarch Life Cycle Kits: on SALE

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TODAY is a GOOD day to think about SPRING Last summer we tested out a simple monarch rearing option for friends who might not have the space for a Monarch BioTent or who were looking for a low-key way to test out monarch rearing. Our Outdoor Monarch Life Cycle Kits were popular and they’re coming…

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Smith Urban Prairie

Local Pollinator Zone is ready to GROW!

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When Lonnie Smith started thinking about establishing an area behind his new home in native habitat, he sought out the resources of the Monarch Research Project. With the offer of 400sf of highly diverse native pollinator seed for free from MRP, augmented with a separate purchase from Ion Exchange in Harper’s Ferry, IA; Lonnie was…

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CRGC with Clark McLeod

Cedar Rapids Garden Club: Thank You!

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Our sincere thanks to the Cedar Rapids Garden Club (CRGC) for its continued support of the 1,000 Mile Pilot, a public-private partnership established to provide refuge and food for pollinators by establishing significant native habitat along Linn County roadsides. Here, CRGC members Kathy Smith, Ann Hammond, and Beth Roof present a check to MRP President Clark…

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Red Admiral Butterfly

Transform Chaos Into Opportunity: You can make a difference in the ecosystem

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Jim Hoffman, Monarch Research Project The Gazette is working with the Linn Landowner Forum to present a series of columns about elements landowners should consider when replacing trees and plants lost in the Aug. 10 derecho. The series has focused on recovery, the importance of native plants and other topics. This is the tenth article…

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Jabe Gonda MZ Intern

Interning at the MRS

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Jabe Gonda, Cedar Rapids native and a graduate of Wheaton College with a major in biology and minor in economics has interned at the Monarch Research Station for the past two summers. Jabe spent his days working alongside Mike Martin and Cam Watts, collecting data on rearing methods, specifically protected rearing of monarchs on wild…

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Common milkweed

Going from derecho to natural diversity

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Here’s some advice for making the transformation The Gazette is working with the Linn Landowner Forum to present a weekly series of columns about elements landowners should consider when replacing trees and plants lost in the Aug. 10 derecho. The series has focused on recovery, the importance of native plants and other topics. Ninth in…

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