By Susan Thwing, For MediaNews Group<\/p>\n
What began as a Rochester resident\u2019s concern over the decline of Monarch butterflies has blossomed into a community-wide conservation movement that has placed the city among an elite group of municipalities nationwide.<\/p>\n
For the fourth consecutive year, Rochester has been designated a Monarch Champion City by the National Wildlife Federation, recognizing its commitment to native habitat restoration, pollinator education and environmental stewardship. Rochester was designated in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.<\/p>\n
According to the NWF, Rochester is currently the only Michigan community to earn the distinction and one of just eight communities nationwide to achieve Monarch Champion status in 2025.<\/p>\n
The other cities named: San Marcos, Texas; Minnetonka, Minn.;\u00a0 Carnegie Borough, Pa; San Antonio, Texas; Glen Ellyn, Ill. Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y. ; and Chamblee, Ga.<\/p>\n
For Rochester Pollinators founder Marilyn Trent, the recognition is both gratifying and surprising. When she founded Rochester Pollinators in 2019, she never envisioned this milestone.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, not in my wildest dreams,\u201d Trent said. \u201cWhen I started, I never imagined that the City of Rochester would one day embrace native plant gardens the way it has. The level of support the city has given to this idea, and to me, has been truly humbling.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Monarch Champion designation is part of the NWF\u2019s Mayors\u2019 Monarch Pledge program, launched in 2015 to encourage communities to help reverse dramatic monarch butterfly population declines.<\/p>\n
![\"Representatives](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Rochester-pollinators-pix-1-063026.jpg\")
Representatives of Rochester Pollinators and city leadership celebrate Rochester\u2019s designation as a 2025 Monarch Champion City by the National Wildlife Federation. Rochester is the only Michigan community and one of just eight nationwide to earn the recognition for its commitment to monarch butterfly conservation and native habitat restoration. (Courtesy of Rochester Pollinators)<\/p>\n
\u201cThe numbers have been so bad in terms of monarch butterfly decline, and we knew cities could play a big role,\u201d said Patrick Fitzgerald, senior director of community wildlife at NWF and national leader of the program. More than 350 communities participated in the pledge program in 2025..<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a really big deal,\u201d Fitzgerald said. \u201cSome communities complete three or four action items. Rochester completed 24 or more. It shows a real commitment to Monarch butterfly conservation and taking significant action.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Rochester\u2019s 2025 report to the NWF, the city reached approximately 5,000 residents \u2013 nearly 39% of the 12,852 residents estimated in 2025 \u2013 through pollinator-related programs and education efforts while creating additional Monarch habitat throughout the community.<\/p>\n
More than butterflies<\/p>\n
While the Monarch butterfly serves as the movement\u2019s symbol, supporters say the mission is much broader.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe people simply didn\u2019t realize that what they were planting in their own yards was harming insects and butterflies,\u201d Trent said. \u201cOnce people understand the connection and realize they can do something tangible about it right in their own backyard, they don\u2019t hesitate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trent is most proud of the accomplishment that predates her service on Rochester City Council.<\/p>\n
Through advocacy efforts, the city voted in 2022 to ban the use of neonicotinoids on public lands. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, the pesticide is a synthetic neurotoxic insecticide chemically similar to nicotine and has been linked to declines in pollinator populations.<\/p>\n
![\"Volunteer](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Rochester-pollinators-pix-2-063026.jpg\")
Volunteer Michelle Berry Lane welcomes visitors at a Rochester Pollinators event. Through native plant sales, educational programs and community outreach, the organization encourages residents to create pollinator-friendly habitats in their own yards. (Courtesy of Rochester Pollinators)<\/p>\n
She also points to recent community outreach efforts, including distributing nearly 800 native plants and more than 200 native seed bombs during Rochester\u2019s Heritage Festival through a grant from America250MI.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe heart of that effort was this message: these plants are part of our American heritage,\u201d she said. \u201cThey were here when the first settlers arrived in Michigan.\u201d<\/p>\n
The movement\u2019s success, she believes, stems from helping residents understand they can make a difference.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had an 83-year-old woman tell me she hadn\u2019t seen a Monarch or any butterflies in years,\u201d Trent said. \u201cAfter she planted milkweed and a few other native plants, the butterflies came back.\u201d<\/p>\n
From curiosity to conservation<\/p>\n
Few stories illustrate Rochester Pollinators\u2019 impact better than that of Amber Quesenberry, vice chair of the organization\u2019s board.<\/p>\n
Her family\u2019s involvement began almost accidentally. Living in Rochester Hills and homeschooling her four children, Quesenberry and her husband decided to stop maintaining one section of their garden and see what happened.<\/p>\n
\u201cLo and behold, common milkweed appeared, and soon after came the Monarch caterpillars,\u201d she said. \u201cWe were all surprised and delighted.\u201d<\/p>\n
That discovery launched a deep dive into the world of pollinators, native plants and habitat restoration.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot all butterfly gardens are created equal,\u201d she said. \u201cSure, nectar is important to adult pollinators, but host plants are where the real magic happens. Caterpillars have to eat the plant species they evolved with to survive.\u201d<\/p>\n
After learning about Rochester Pollinators, Quesenberry connected with Trent and became deeply involved. Along the way, she completed Michigan State University Extension\u2019s Master Gardener program and later enrolled in courses focused on natural ecosystems.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started out thinking all perennial plants were native,\u201d she said. \u201cI learned that hardiness does not equal native.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today, she helps educate residents, organizes winter sowing workshops and participates in the group\u2019s increasingly popular native plant sales.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur plant sales get bigger and bigger every year,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s where the real work happens: when people take those plants home and start restoring habitat in their own yards.\u201d<\/p>\n
Growing movement<\/p>\n
The small volunteer effort has expanded dramatically.<\/p>\n
According to Rochester\u2019s NWF report, the Pollinators now includes more than 245 active volunteers, more than 2,400 newsletter subscribers and over 2,700 social media followers. The organization hosts spring and fall native plant sales, educational presentations, seed collection events, school programs and community workshops. In 2025 alone, Rochester Pollinators sold or distributed nearly 7,000 native plants through its seasonal sales.<\/p>\n
![\"Volunteers](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Rochester-pollinators-pix-4-063026.jpg\")
Volunteers participate in a spring cleanup of a Rochester pollinator garden. Rochester Pollinators relies on hundreds of volunteers who help maintain native plantings, educate residents and expand habitat for monarch butterflies, bees and other beneficial insects. (Courtesy of Rochester Pollinators)<\/p>\n
The city\u2019s partnerships have aided\u00a0 in its success, the NWF\u2019s Fitzgerald said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe partnerships that the city has forged with Rochester Pollinators and the City Beautiful Commission have really helped,\u201d he said. \u201cThose partnerships have enabled the city to do more than it could do on its own.\u201d<\/p>\n
The ripple effect is already spreading.<\/p>\n
The Pollinators\u2019 Trent noted that Rochester\u2019s efforts have inspired Auburn Hills, Rochester Hills and Grosse Pointe Park to participate in the NWF\u2019s Monarch program.<\/p>\n
Planting a forest for the future<\/p>\n
Among the organization\u2019s most ambitious projects is Rochester\u2019s first miniature forest. Planted in May 2025 on a former municipal dump site, the 1,000-square-foot forest uses a dense planting approach developed by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki.<\/p>\n
The project includes 290 trees and shrubs native to Michigan planted closely together to accelerate growth and mimic a natural forest. The dense mix of species boosts biodiversity by providing more forage for pollinators, shelter for birds and insects, and healthier soil through increased leaf litter. The diverse canopy also helps suppress weeds and improves the forest\u2019s resilience against disease.<\/p>\n
The site was transformed through partnerships with thePollinators, the city\u2019s public works department,\u00a0 City Beautiful Commission, Rochester High School student volunteers and grants from the Community Foundation of Greater Rochester.<\/p>\n
Beyond capturing carbon and improving water retention, the miniature forest is expected to provide habitat for birds and support hundreds of pollinator species.<\/p>\n
Trent hopes it can serve as a model for communities across Michigan.<\/p>\n
Looking ahead<\/p>\n
The Pollinators\u00a0 currently partner with Detroit-based Cass Community Social Services to help landscape tiny-home communities with native plants and no-mow lawns. Trent is also preparing to launch a podcast, \u201cWe Have a Plant for That,\u201d highlighting environmental advocates and native gardening success stories.<\/p>\n
For residents interested in helping Monarch butterflies and other pollinators, both Trent and Quesenberry offer the same advice: start small.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t need to transform your entire yard overnight,\u201d Trent said. \u201cStart with a pollinator garden, or even just a few native plants.\u201d<\/p>\n
Quesenberry agrees.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery native plant is a step in the right direction,\u201d she said. \u201cIt can be a garden bed, a small corner of your yard, or even a container garden. Our survival is dependent on theirs.\u201d<\/p>\n