Save the Date: Orange Alert 2026

Make a difference in your own backyard!

Creating a pollinator-friendly yard or garden that incorporates native plants will attract butterflies and help monarchs thrive. Join us and learn from area experts how to create a pollinator sanctuary in your own backyard and support the Midwest Monarch population.

Save your spot and register today - the first 100 registrants will receive TEN FREE milkweed plugs!

REGISTER FOR ORANGE ALERT

What to Expect:

• Educational program, featuring local author and ecologist, Connie Mutel
• Expert panel to answer your questions
• BioTent Display
• Milkweed Distribution (Monarch Zones) + Milkweed sale ($2/plug)
• Native Plant Sale - We are excited to work with two local nurseries - Railside Greenhouse and Troutleaf Native Plants - to bring native plant plugs to the event!

Featured Speaker: Connie Mutel, local author and ecologist

Connie Mutel brings decades of passion for science writing and Iowa's natural world as a retired historian and senior science writer. With degrees in biology and music, and a master's in plant ecology, she's authored 15 books—including A Sugar Creek Chronicle on climate change—while inspiring communities to restore native ecosystems. Today, she shares her insights through lectures and volunteer work.

Hear From the Experts
Our panel of local experts will be there to answer your questions about native plants, tips for creating a sanctuary for pollinators, how to rear monarchs, and more!