<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4UIr1B_0vjBO5SE00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4UIr1B_0vjBO5SE00" width="1880" height="1410" ></figure>When master gardener, Barbara Willson, first considered the idea of having a monarch butterfly celebration, she didn’t know it would become a long-standing fall tradition.Each September, the Johnson County K-State Research and Extension Master Naturalists host a public celebration called, “Hasta Luego Monarchs,” marking the fall migration season, when thousands of monarchs pass through the lower Midwest headed for Mexico.Saturday, September 28 will be the 10th time the event has been held at the Pollinator Prairie in Olathe.Creating a garden for Monarch ButterfliesBarbara Willson began volunteering at the Pollinator Prairie after hearing a presentation by Monarch Watch founder, Dr. Chip Taylor. Following the clean-up of a former chemical recycling facility at the site, the community wanted to do something to make a positive impact.In collaboration with the Pollinator Partnership, Monarch Watch designed and started installing ecologically beneficial garden beds. Willson and a handful of master gardener friends volunteered to help plant native plants to support monarchs and other pollinators. Maintenance of the site was eventually adopted by the Johnson County Extension Master Naturalists program.The Pollinator Prairie sponsors needed a way to introduce the public to the gardens. Why not have an event to say goodbye or rather, “see you later,” to the monarch butterflies, Willson thought, and the “Hasta Luego Monarchs” event was born. “Once the idea took hold,” Willson recalls, “it went crazy from then on and everyone was a part of it.” The Johnson County Extension Office got involved. A sponsor provided tents and lunch for volunteers. Monarch Watch supplied caterpillars and butterflies to show the stages of a monarch’s lifecycle.“Volunteers are everything,” Willson says, as she remembers the fun of working as a group. This is still true today.At this year’s event, Monarch Watch will feature live demonstrations, tagging and releasing monarchs so they can be tracked on their journey to Mexico.A dedicated group of volunteers manages the gardens at the Pollinator Prairie and gets them ready for the event. Johnson County Extension Master Naturalists, Rosanna Muñoz and Emily Shepherd, co-lead maintenance of the monarch garden. Muñoz has had a passion for monarch butterflies since she visited their overwintering grounds in Mexico as a college student. She recalls, “orange everywhere, in the trees and the sky. It is a vivid memory because it was so magical to see.” Muñoz wants to do what she can to protect monarchs and other pollinators and give them spaces.This year’s Monarch event at the prairieOne way to help is by incorporating more native plants into the landscape. The event on September 28 features a native plant sale by Parsons’ Gardens, a local small business.Exhibits by the Johnson County Extension Master Naturalists and other volunteers will provide practical guidance about invasive plants and how to remove them, how to control pests without the use of harmful chemicals and other ways to help pollinators. There will also be games and activities for kids and displays about bird conservation, caterpillars, and bats.“Hasta Luego Monarchs” began as an idea to celebrate monarch butterflies when a handful of volunteers were laying the groundwork for the lush habitat that the Pollinator Prairie provides today. For Barbara Willson, it is so rewarding that people liked the event so much that they are still doing it every year. Now in its 10th year “Hasta Luego Monarchs” has become a seasonal favorite.“Hasta Luego Monarchs” is on Saturday, September 28 from 9 am to 1 pm at the Pollinator Prairie in Olathe, KS. It is free to attend and open to the public.To learn more visit johnson.k-state.edu.Lead photo courtesy of Ginny Varraveto</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

‘Hasta Luego Monarchs’ celebrates 10 years at the Pollinator Prairie

When master gardener, Barbara Willson, first considered the idea of having a monarch butterfly celebration, she didn’t know it would become a long-standing fall tradition. Each September, the Johnson County K-State Research and Extension Master Naturalists host a public celebration called, “Hasta Luego Monarchs,” marking the fall migration season, when thousands of monarchs pass through the lower Midwest headed for Mexico.