From Milkweed to Monarchs: A Full-Circle Year at NoMi Forest Explorers

This year, our Festival of Trees entry wasn’t just a decorated tree—it was the story of a season, a community, and dozens of tiny wings taking flight.

Over the summer, NoMi Forest Explorers partnered with Onekama Parks & Recreation and Great Start Collaborative for what became one of our most meaningful projects yet: a hands-on Monarch Project that invited children and families to raise monarch butterflies from larva to release.

Families took monarch caterpillars home, cared for them, observed their transformations, and documented each stage of the lifecycle. As families searched for milkweed to feed their caterpillars, something wonderful happened—they kept finding more monarch eggs and larva. Instead of leaving them behind, families stepped up, took them in, and cared for them too. By the end of the season, our group alone released more than 50 monarch butterflies back into the wild!!!!!

We also hosted a group learning event where children explored the monarch lifecycle through movement and play before taking their larva home. Caterpillars were ordered through Monarch Watch (monarchwatch.org) and, once ready, butterflies were released near native Michigan pollinator plants and at the pollinator garden at North Point Park in Onekama - connecting learning directly to local ecosystems.

Bringing the Story to the Festival of Trees

When it came time for the Lakeside Club Festival of Trees, we knew we wanted to honor this journey. This marked our third year participating in the event. In previous years, our trees focused on nature-based creativity - handmade ornaments crafted from natural materials and salt dough. This year our Treasurer, Jessica Palmer, had a wonderful idea to bring everything full circle.

Our tree was decorated with the complete lifecycle of the monarch butterfly, represented through ornaments made from kits we assembled for children to complete at home and during organized craft days. Each stage - egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly - was thoughtfully represented.

We took care to keep sustainability at the heart of the project:

• Milkweed pods were responsibly harvested - only those that had fallen or were already opening.

• The milkweed fluff was placed into bulbs to be planted later.

• Stars were created from dried milkweed pods.

• Seed packets were added to the tree to encourage pollinator-friendly planting.

• A display board shared both monarch education and what we called the “Lifecycle of the Tree,” connecting summer learning to winter celebration and future growth.

The response was incredibly heartening. We were honored to receive 2nd Place in the Nonprofit Category!!!!!! Our hope is to connect with the individual who purchased our tree, and plant the seeds together, continuing the story beyond the festival.

Learning That Grows Forward

This project reflects where NoMi Forest Explorers is headed. We’re committed to learning that is hands-on, seasonal, community-centered, and deeply connected to place. By following the monarchs from milkweed to migration - and carrying that story into winter - we’re helping children see that learning doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens over time, together, and with care.

Thank you to every family, partner, and tiny caterpillar caretaker who helped make this year so special. We can’t wait to keep growing - with monarchs, milkweed, and community - year after year. 🌱🦋