Helping To Save The Monarch Butterfly And Their Pollinator Friends
Welcome to the buzz-worthy world of the Rochester Pollinators! We're not your average non-profit organization — we're passionate people dedicated to saving our native pollinators by restoring their natural habitats in home landscapes and gardens.
Our story began in 2019, when our founder Marilyn discovered that the Monarch butterfly population had decreased by a staggering 90% in the past two decades due to habitat loss. She knew that something had to be done to reverse this trend, so she proposed the idea of planting milkweeds and native flowering plants in the city's landscaping to the City of Rochester. And guess what? They said yes! Just like that, Rochester Pollinators was born.
Since then, we've expanded our focus to include all native pollinators, birds, and wildlife in our mission. Our strategy is simple - restore native habitats by planting native plants. And it's working! The City of Rochester now boasts five public gardens featuring native plantings and a 13-acre park with a restored prairie remnant. Even downtown Rochester is getting in on the action with milkweeds and other native flowers in their bump-outs along Main Street.
But we're not just stopping there— we want to spread the love for native plants and help other cities and towns restore their habitats too. In our outreach, we have empowered hundreds of residents in Rochester, Michigan, and neighboring towns to grow native plants in their own yards and communal spaces.
The Rochester Pollinators and their work in spreading the word, hosting semi-annual native plant sales at the Rochester Farmers’ Market, planting gardens, holding workshops, and much more has made the City of Rochester Michigan a two time winner of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Mayors Monarch Pledge Champion Award!
Visit us at https://rochesterpollinators.org to learn more.
Follow us on Facebook & Instagram @RochesterPollinators to help spread the word.
