Interstate 35 could soon be a haven for butterflies and other pollinators under a new effort to improve the corridor.
The Kansas Department of Transportation and five other state transportation departments, as well as the Federal Highway Administration, signed an agreement this week to enhance the so-called “Monarch Highway.”
I-35 runs through Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. It was identified last year as an area that could serve as a habitat for Monarch butterflies migrating the 2,000 miles from Mexico to Minnesota each spring.
The state partners have agreed to work together to plant new vegetation such as milkweed to act as a refuge and food source for pollinators. They’ll also coordinate to promote public awareness of the Monarch and other insects.
KDOT says it started planting butterfly milkweed and other native wildflowers along I-35 in 2008 to make the roadside more friendly for Monarch butterflies.
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