Monarch Mania! reaches Clear Lake

(Above) Clear Creek third graders made these milkweed clay balls to plant in the Outdoor Classroom. -Reporter photos by Chris Barragy

[caption id="attachment_16049" align="alignleft" width="270"] Todd Von Ehwegen, from the Lime Creek Nature Center, led students in the “snow planting” activity.[/caption]

Monarch Mania! has struck at Clear Creek Elementary.

Helped by Todd Von Ehwegen, conservation education manager at Lime Creek Nature Center, third graders at the Clear Lake elementary school took to the school’s Outdoor Classroom last week to plant seeds for the future-- or more specifically, seeds to improve habitat for Monarch butterflies and other pollinators.

Monarch Mania! is a program initiated by the Lime Creek Nature Center in Mason City and funded by the Maxine Sanberg Memorial Fund.   The program is a call to North Iowans to plant milkweed and pollinator gardens to enhance the habitat monarchs and pollinators need to survive.

As her third grade class was busy spreading milkweed clay balls and native grass and pollinator flower seeds amid clumps of prairie grass and snow, Dana Sorensen was excited.   The longtime elementary teacher said her interest in Monarchs was sparked when Clear Creek opened in 1998.  “I am known by many of the students as the Butterfly Lady.  This is a project I’m really excited about and it’s fun to do it with my class.”

Classes led by Val Schaefer, Sara Allen, Yvonne Uhlenhopp and student teacher Rachel Jensen also helped to spread 12 pounds of native tall grass prairie seed valued at $1,200.

Students prepared the clay balls by forming small marble size balls of potting soil mixed with clay - they then put two swamp milkweed seed in each ball.  When the clay balls dried, they scattered them in the Outdoor Classroom in an area now designated as a pollinator garden through the Monarch Mania! project.

Students will continue to be involved with the program through tagging monarchs and studying their life cycle.

“Kids at Clear Creek tag monarch butterflies every year,” explained Sorensen.  “This year there is a noticeable drop in the number being caught at the school.  Students tagged 49 monarch this year.  It is a great opportunity to follow our data.”

This was the first time “snow planting” has been done at the Outdoor Classroom, which has expanded over the years to include a pond enjoyed by swans and other aquatic life, as well as prairie