Katie’s Krops Youth Volunteers Work Together to Save Endangered Monarch Butterflies

Press Release

A local nonprofit’s young volunteers are on a mission to save the endangered monarch butterfly. Just like a tiny cabbage seedling inspired Katie Stagliano to start the nonprofit, Katie’s Krops, a Dorchester County 4-H class with Molly Jones inspired Katie’s Krops youth volunteers to begin Monarch Meadows, an effort to save the endangered Monarch butterflies.

In the summer of 2022, in Katie’s Krops Outdoor Classroom, 4-H leader Molly Jones taught a class on the endangered monarch butterflies. Jones shared how young attendees could help save the butterflies. The children quickly made it their mission to aid these beautiful creatures. The group, comprised of young Katie’s Krops volunteers between the ages of one and ten, began their efforts to save and tag Monarch butterflies on their migration. In 2023 they have dramatically increased their efforts.

A section of Katie’s Krops Flagship Garden on the campus of Crossroads Community Church is now dedicated to saving the endangered Monarch butterfly due to the efforts of these young environmentalists. Monarch Meadows houses a ten-by-ten butterfly house, a meadow of milkweed, the host plant to the Monarch butterfly, raised beds filled with plants, and children passionate about making a difference in this world.

Team Monarch was able to secure donations of milkweed from Pipevines Plus Nursery in Goose Creek, along with starting their own milkweed from seeds, to ensure that the monarch caterpillars had pesticide-free milkweed to snack on. Additionally, Team Monarch wrote letters to the Parks and Rec Department in Summerville, asking if they could plant milkweed in Ashley River Park and provide signage to educate the public on the endangered butterfly.

Kevin Arnold, a graduate student in Clemson University’s Architecture program located in Charleston, designed and built a fantastic butterfly house this spring that is located in the garden. This butterfly house is home to milkweed and pollinators, where monarch caterpillars can safely transform from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly, free from predators and pesticides.

The butterfly house is located in Monarch Meadows, the beautiful sanctuary complete with hundreds of milkweed plants, and a plethora of native pollinators within Katie’s Krops Flagship Garden. Katie’s grandmother, Adele Myder, painted a beautiful sign welcoming visitors to Monarch Meadows.

Nine butterflies have hatched in the few short weeks since the butterfly house opened. These are the first generation. Tagging efforts will begin with the third generation of Monarchs being released from the house. Monarch tagging is a way for researchers to follow the migration patterns of monarch butterflies, see what paths they take, and track numbers. “Tagging” is a monarch placing a small identification sticker on the wing and then releasing the butterfly back into the wild. 

 “I am so proud of these youth and their dedication to helping save such an important and beautiful keystone species. Their efforts are awe-inspiring and showcase that you can make a tremendous impact no matter how young or old you are! I learn new things about monarch butterflies daily from Team Monarch, and I am thrilled to see how many butterflies will be released from Monarch Meadows this year!” Says Katie’s Krops Founder Katie Stagliano.

The young Monarch Project members will host two upcoming fundraisers to continue their efforts at Groucho’s in Summerville (date TBD) and on July 7^th at Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina, where they will host a lemonade stand. Supporters can also adopt a Monarch and receive regular updates for $5 via this link: https://katieskrops.com/help-save-the-monarchs/.

Throughout the monarch season, which will continue until the fall, Team Monarch hopes to house hundreds, even thousands, of monarch caterpillars and butterflies within Monarch Meadows. To learn more about Team Monarch’s work, visit KatiesKrops.com/SavetheMonarches!

About Katie’s Krops

The mission of Katie’s Krops is to empower youth to start and maintain vegetable gardens and donate the produce in need, as well as assist and inspire others to do the same. Katie’s Krops has 100+ youth-run vegetable gardens growing across the United States. Katie’s Krops also hosts free garden-to-table dinners for anyone needing a hot, healthy, and free meal. In addition, in 2021, Katie’s Krops opened an outdoor classroom to provide educational opportunities in a beautiful outdoor setting. For more information, please visit www.KatiesKrops.com. 

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