Warren County

The Great Monarch Skyway

A sculpture to honor the butterfly migration on a fragmented landscape.

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Project Background
Pollinators are vital to all life on our planet, from aiding Iowa's agricultural economy - to supporting the entire food chain of our shared ecosystem. The Great Monarch Skyway refers to the Monarch Highway which is a symbolic migratory path of the Monarch butterfly that roughly follows the U.S. Interstate 35 road corridor. Starting from the central part of North America, Monarch butterflies travel yearly from Canada to Mexico where they hibernate. 
Dave and Carol Richmond recognized the value of supporting pollinators on our landscape and started a mission to bring awareness to the topic. Dave, was a professor emeritus of art at Simpson College, and Carol is a Master Gardener from the ISU program. Through their skillset they designed a Monarch Butterfly sculpture that's 9' tall, 4' wide, and 1' deep to symbolize part of the butterflies migration route - a journey across a fragmented landscape.

Follow the link for excellent information on the Monarch Butterfly!