40 / SEEDWORLD.COM SEPTEMBER 2018 PROTECTINGPOLLINATORS ThisseriesissponsoredbyOperationPollinator, aSyngentaglobalinitiative. MONARCH BUTTERFLIES travel around 3,000 miles each year on their annual migration. This summer, a team from Syngenta took a trip of their own in honor of National Pollinator Week, and though there are important pollinator habitat projects going on across the country, the road trip fol- lowed the Monarch Highway. The I-35 corridor has been dubbed the Monarch Highway because it paral- lels the central flyway of the monarch migration across the United States throughout the spring, summer and fall months. Monarchs sometimes travel between 50-100 miles a day, so it can take up to two months to complete their journey from Mexico to Canada. From June 18-22, the Syngenta team drove through five states in five days, with 14 stops in 12 cities throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa and Minnesota. Ann Bryan, Syngenta senior man- ager of external communications, says the goal of the trip was to bring the sto- ries from a variety of pollinator habitat projects to life for those who otherwise wouldn’t know about them. “We learned so much from all the experts we were able to visit with,” Bryan says. “But the ultimate goal was to shine a spotlight on the positive efforts others, as well as Syngenta, are doing to improve pollinator health and preserve and enhance natural habitats.” Stops were chosen to represent a diverse cross-section of researchers, conservationists and landowners who are helping protect pollinators and improve their health. Sites varied from roadside maintenance programs and university research to golf courses, pri- vate farms, and even an Air Force base. Bryan says the team did a lot of research prior to the trip. “We knew we wanted to follow I-35, so we looked for sites with pollinator activi- ties along that route and reached out to as many as we could,” Bryan says. Pollinator Progress While many of the projects along the road trip route focus on Monarch butter- flies, they also benefit other pollinators. For example, the group stopped at Oklahoma State University to meet with Kristen Baum and her team, who manage a few different projects to promote the growth of milkweed in Oklahoma. Milkweed is the essential plant Monarchs need to survive, but it also provides nectar for other pollinators. Even deer and rab- bits have been known to munch on the leaves of this important plant. The Syngenta road trip team met with Baum’s team on the side of the highway to learn about their efforts to reduce mowing and identify the timing of mowing that helps the plant thrive during key times of the year. They also traveled to a rangeland site Road trip shines a light on projects along the Monarch Highway. Melissa Shipman melissanshipman@gmail.com ONTHEROADFORPOLLINATORS to learn about the patchwork burning techniques being utilized there. “We have a lot of good opportuni- ties in Oklahoma to study and improve existing habitats,” Baum says. “One of our main goals is to simply adjust exist- ing mowing regimes to better support milkweed growth, while addressing other roadside management needs, such as controlling invasive species.” In the grassland areas, prescribed burnings limit brush encroachment, alloing existing native vegetation to thrive. Both of these methods allow for increased pollinator habitat without need- ing to plant any new seeds or devote land to a new habitat. “It’s an interesting puzzle, and there isn’t one answer for all locations,” she says. “It’s about finding what works best depending on what that exact location needs.” Geographical Differences Bryan and her team found that the southern states focused much more heavily on managing existing habitats, such as roadsides or grasslands. Projects on the northern end of I-35 tended to Ann Bryan serves as senior manager of external communications at Syngenta. Kristen Baum serves as an associate professor at Oklahoma State University.