DNR News Releases

Search for a News Release

Press/Media inquiries: PIO@dnr.iowa.gov

DNR News Releases

Archive by tag: pollinatorsReturn

Enjoy the buzz – support the local bees and butterflies by adding pollinator friendly plants around the house

• 6/11/2024 2:24:00 PM
• View Count 2725

If you enjoy eating apples, peaches, blueberries, tomatoes, squash and more, thank a bee. Or, better yet, plant some pollinator friendly native plants in a pot, or flower bed or garden and support the local bees and butterflies.

Meet Phyllis Kimball, a Monarch Champion

• 6/22/2020 2:33:00 PM
• View Count 6638

Phyllis Kimball, of Creston, enrolled 160 acres in CRP pollinator mix in Ringgold County. Kimball had been away from the farm for more than two decades but returned to manage the day to day operations after an agreement with a local farmer was voided. What she found upon returning was failing terraces and trees that had taken over the valley. She stopped on the gravel road and cried at seeing what had happened to her land.

Spring Gardening For Pollinators, Beauty And Much More

• 5/28/2020 2:00:00 PM
• View Count 6561

Early spring is the time to plan a pollinator garden to turn desolate lawns into gorgeous habitat havens.

Iowans can do their part in helping the Monarch habitat grow

• 4/14/2020 2:21:00 PM
• View Count 6461

The recent news from the World Wildlife Fund and Mexico’s Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas on monarch wintering numbers was an eye opener  – the butterflies covered an estimated seven acres of forest canopy in Mexico – less than half of last year’s population. Experts estimate a long-term average of 15 acres of occupied forest canopy is necessary to sustain the eastern North America monarch population.

6 ways to help monarchs in your own backyard

• 7/5/2019 4:52:00 PM
• View Count 12123

One of the most recognized pollinators, monarchs travel more than 3,000 miles each year to come visit Iowa for the summer. With declining numbers over the last decade, here are some ways you can help these beautiful orange and black butterflies:

Blank Park Zoo Monarch Festival

• 9/12/2017 2:53:00 PM
• View Count 3610

A celebration of the monarch’s journey from Canada, through Iowa, to Mexico, will be held Sept. 17, from Noon to 4 p.m., at Blank Park Zoo, in Des Moines.

Partnership promotes Iowa grown natives for wildlife habitat

• 4/25/2017 12:25:00 PM
• View Count 8336

A partnership unique to Iowa is working to get more Iowa grown native grasses and forbs on the landscape to the benefit of wildlife and pollinators.

7 Tips for Starting a Backyard Pollinator Garden

• 8/11/2016 2:05:00 PM
• View Count 39721

Not all wildlife is supersized. Small animals, including insects and hummingbirds, are responsible for the processes that bring us everything from cotton for clothes to the strawberries in the supermarket. According to the American Honeybee Federation, honeybees alone are responsible for up to 90 percent of the pollination of certain crops, and contribute more than a $14 billion value to the U.S. agricultural industry. With the recent declines in honeybee and monarch butterfly populations, you can make an importa...

Edible Outdoors Coming to Des Moines Social Club March 24

• 3/10/2016 7:45:00 AM
• View Count 4993

DES MOINES - A new venture in the metro is connecting adults with Polk County’s natural resources where they learn to forage, hunt and fish. Edible Outdoors Des Moines is kicking off on March 24, from 5:30-7:30 p.m., at the Des Moines Social Club for anyone interested in learning more about the program. Join us and try your hand at fly tying, build a seed ball to attract pollinators to your neighborhood, and create a beeswax candle all while enjoying delicious wild game hors d’oeuvres.

Bee Beautiful – 5 Tips to Attract Pollinators to Your Backyard

• 4/29/2015 10:29:00 AM
• View Count 27203

One out of every three bites of food we eat relies on pollinators, mostly insects, to reproduce. Unfortunately, bees (colony and solitary), butterflies and moths, bats, birds and beetles are facing challenges due to habitat loss, disease, parasites and pesticides.