FEBRUARY 2026

Oklahoma Monarch Society Partners with Government Agencies for Pollinators!

🦋🐝 Monarch butterflies and other native pollinators are experiencing steep population declines from pesticide use, habitat loss, and climate change. To help reverse these trends, the Oklahoma Monarch Society, with support from the Kirkpatrick Foundation, is launching Pathways for Pollinators & People, a statewide initiative that engages government agencies and communities in conservation, education, and art. Through this program, municipalities and correctional facilities will create pollinator gardens, provide educational programs, and install monarch-themed murals in both public spaces and correctional facilities.

City of Norman

OK Department of Corrections

Eastern Monarchs in Their Fragile Mountain Sanctuary

❄️🌲Monarch butterflies face delicate survival challenges during winter at their overwintering sites in Mexico’s oyamel fir forests. “These forests create a protective microclimate that helps butterflies conserve energy and avoid freezing,” explains Oklahoma City Zoo Conservation Scientist Dr. Emily Geest. However, when conditions are wet, freezing can occur at just 32.9°F. Historical freezes have sometimes overwhelmed these natural shelters, causing high mortality, as seen in 2002 and 2016. This story highlights both past challenges and the remarkable resilience of monarchs in the face of extreme winter weather.

Full Story 📘

Garden Grants Now Open

for OKC Metro Area Schools!

📣 Want to get your students outside and engaged in nature? Create a monarch garden with the OKC Zoo Living Classroom Grant. The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden, in partnership with the Oklahoma Monarch and Pollinator Collaborative and OG&E, is helping to increase habitat for monarchs and other pollinators by providing grants to Oklahoma City metro area schools to create gardens full of milkweed and nectar plants to fuel monarchs along their migratory pathway.

Applications Due by April 10, 2026

Two professional development opportunities for teachers
Awards of up to $1500 each to purchase garden supplies
Monarch-focused curricula resources

Find out if your school qualifies by clicking the link below.

💻 Apply Today

Learn to Create Wildlife-Friendly Gardens

🤝 Join the Oklahoma Native Plant Network for the Welcoming Garden Speaker Series: Creating Natural Spaces and Coexisting with Wildlife, coming Friday, March 6th in Edmond and Saturday, March 7th in Tulsa.

This inspiring program focuses on building healthier landscapes and living in harmony with the wildlife around us, featuring nationally recognized authors Heather Holm and Nancy Lawson. Discover how native plants support pollinators, birds, and biodiversity, and gain practical, compassionate strategies for coexisting with wildlife in your yard and community.

✨ Guests will enjoy engaging talks, Q&A sessions, book signings, and opportunities to connect with conservation organizations across Oklahoma.

Free to attend, registration is required, and seating is limited.

Order Your Milkweed for Spring

Want to support monarchs? Plant milkweed! Monarch Watch’s Milkweed Market is now accepting spring pre-orders for native milkweed plants. Each flat includes 32 plants, with shipping included. Help provide the host plants monarchs need to thrive. 🦋

Shop Now! 🌱

Show Your Pollinator Pride!

Get a Habitat Sign

Order a License Plate

Got Milkweed and Monarch Questions?

Join the Oklahoma Friends of Monarchs

support group on Facebook

UPCOMING EVENTS

The events below are from our statewide community calendar.

Now - March 16

Small Wonders

Metropolitan Library Downtown, OKC

February 14, 10 am - 11 am

Guided Garden Teaching Tour

Tulsa Garden Center in Woodward Park, Tulsa

February 14, 11 am - 2 pm

The Great Seed Swap

Tulsa Garden Center in Woodward Park, Tulsa

February 21, 10 am - 11 am

Not So Creepy Crawly with the OKC Zoo

Metropolitan Library Downtown, OKC

February 23 - 25, 7:30 am - 4:30 pm

Oklahoma Local Agricultural Summit

Stoney Creek Hotel, Broken Arrow

February 24, 9 am - 3:30 pm

Embracing Earth’s Designs for Homeowners and Landscape Professionals

Glenpool Conference Center, Glenpool

February 26, 10 am - 3 pm

MJV - Southern MLMP Course

Online Webinar

February 28, 10 am - 4 pm

Piers Nature Conservancy Tree Planting Day

Piers Nature Conservancy, Ardmore

March 1 - May 31

Great American Cleanup

Oklahoma

March 6, 4:30 pm - 8:30 pm

The Welcoming Garden Speaker Series

University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond

March 7, 1 pm - 5 pm

The Welcoming Garden Speaker Series

Tulsa Garden Center in Woodward Park, Tulsa

March 7, 11 am - 3 pm

TEK Fest

First Americans Museum, OKC

March 7, 2 pm - 3 pm

Forensic Entomology with Dr. Heather Ketchum

Metropolitan Library Downtown, OKC

March 14, 10 am - 5 pm

National Learn About Butterflies Day

Chickasaw Cultural Center, Sulphur

Help plant the path for pollinators!

🫶 Donate Today!

Okies for Monarchs is an initiative of the Oklahoma Monarch & Pollinator Collaborative and the Oklahoma Monarch Society, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

Flutter over to our website at okiesformonarchs.org

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PO Box 54952
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73154
USA