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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has partnered with Capital Region Medical Center (CRMC) and the City of Jefferson to install a pollinator plot on the roundabout located on Stadium Boulevard in Jefferson City.
“When we think about nature in the city, people often think you need a lot of green space to make an impact, but you can be creative with the space you have and intentional about how you are using it,” says Aaron Jeffries, MDC Deputy Director. “We are taking a butterfly sculpture in a roundabout in the middle of the city and planting 700 native plants in that space to benefit pollinators, including butterflies and bees, and the people are seeing it every day. It’s been a team effort between MDC, City of Jefferson, and Capital Region Medical Center to make this community conservation project happen and the valuable volunteers getting these native plants in the ground.”
Without a good number of volunteers and partners, this project would not have been possible. MDC would like to thank Cub Scout Pack 20 for their help planting the native plants, All Seasons Lawn Care for providing the mulch, and the Missouri Wildflower Nursery for providing the native plants. Even for community members who did not have a direct hand in this project, the area serves them all the same.
“The roundabout continues to be an area of great pride for Capital Region Medical Center. The fact that it’s close in proximity and a reminder to those passing by of the helping hands found in our hospital and throughout our community is important to us,” says CRMC President Gaspare Calvaruso. “We have valued our partnership with the Missouri Department of Conservation, the City of Jefferson, and all parties' efforts to see this beautification project thrive. The Missouri Department of Conservation’s idea to attract butterflies and other pollinators to this area is fantastic. It’s a great way to enhance and complement the existing artwork and our city’s landscape. We are grateful for their vision and commitment to our local community.”
Bringing nature into communities can provide social, health, economic, and environmental benefits. Nature improves mood, concentration, and self-discipline, and it can help to foster social connections. Even small natural areas can improve air quality, manage stormwater, and support wildlife. In this case, the native plants will improve biodiversity for our pollinators while adding a visual component to the roundabout. This Adopt-A-Spot project is one of many around Jefferson City working to beautify the town. “The City of Jefferson’s Adopt-A-Street and Adopt-A-Spot programs involve volunteers across the city working together to clean up and beautify Jefferson City, in this case, by adopting a roundabout,” says Dawn Kirchner, neighborhood services specialist with the City of Jefferson.
The native plants used in this project include butterfly weed, prairie blazing star, prairie coreopsis, Missouri primrose, purple poppy mallow, prairie dropseed, purple beardtongue, purple prairie clover, aromatic aster and others. To learn more about community conservation and the benefits of adding natural areas into urban settings, go to https://short.mdc.mo.gov/4eh.
