An initiative focused on pollinator conservation and education hopes to help local economies in western Missouri by creating pollinator-friendly plantings and tourist attractions.
The Highway 13 Butterfly Trail will feature a 26-mile-wide, 292-mile-long corridor along Highway 13, according to a project summary report. The corridor will pass through 12 counties in western Missouri, connecting communities like Hamilton, Springfield and Branson.
Though targeting all Missouri pollinators with the butterfly trail’s efforts, there will be a specific emphasis on monarch butterflies.
This comes as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to list monarchs as a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in December. The original public comment period for the decision was extended to May 19. If listed, the rule will “help build on and enhance monarch conservation efforts while balancing activities in support of economic growth,” according to a press release.
The butterfly trail taps into a growing conservation trend, which supports ecological efforts and contributes to the state’s economy through ecotourism.
Conservation spending brings in over $507 million in state and local tax revenue annually, according to a report by the Missouri Department of Conservation. A 2021 report from the University of Missouri Extension found that nearly 25% of travelers visit the state for outdoor activities, including ecotourism. These conservation projects create attractive natural spaces, which draw crowds looking to enjoy nature or learn about wildlife, helping both environmental awareness and the economy.
Led by the Hamilton Community Alliance, a community interest group, the butterfly trail will feature gardens, art installations, educational centers and research facilities, according to Bob Hughes, a member of the HCA and coordinator for the butterfly trail.
“We essentially want to have each county running their own pollinator programs, with the butterfly trail being the umbrella for everything,” Hughes said. “We can provide funding and resources, we'll coordinate signage, (we’re) working with MoDOT and with state and federal agencies.”
The project is unique in that it is a grassroots initiative spearheaded by retired individuals in rural communities, drawing on their experience in nonprofit work. The project has received about $25,000 in grant funding from the TC Energy Foundation, Hughes said. This total has been split evenly between the butterfly trail and the Hamilton Butterfly Park.
Grant funding by the Bee and Butterfly Habitat Fund has been allocated for signage, as well.
The group is actively fundraising to get the project going. It hopes to raise $102,000 in 2025, $122,000 in 2026 and $150,500 in 2027, Hughes said.
“If this whole trail is successful, the amount of traffic should be significant, and it should create a lot of economic opportunity for the whole western part of the state,” Hughes said.
Although the project is still in its early stages, plans include creating interpretive opportunities with educational displays, murals, and statues, as well as providing research field sites along the butterfly trail.
“It's just going to be a whole, total environmental and ecotourism package,” Hughes said.
Monarch mania
Individual gardens dotting the butterfly trail will provide habitat resources like food, water, shelter and breeding grounds by growing native plants like milkweed.
Though intended to serve all pollinators, Hughes admits 'butterfly trail' was a strategic name, chosen for its marketing appeal.
“Several people have asked, ‘Well, why didn't you call it the Highway 13 Pollinator Trail?'" Hughes said. He explained that butterflies are more easily recognizable and appealing to the public, more so than "bee trail" or "pollinator trail."
Over 20 species of butterflies, bees and hummingbirds will benefit from the butterfly trail, according to Emily Althoff, an urban entomologist working with the HCA. The butterfly trail will also help restore local ecosystems, aiding other wildlife.
One of the largest areas of focus, though, is the monarch butterfly.
“It's a very charismatic species,” Althoff said. “People get very excited about it.”
As their habitat disappears, monarchs travel longer distances in search of milkweed, their primary food source. The butterfly trail should create a series of "stopover" habitats along the monarchs’ migration route through Missouri, giving them places to rest and refuel along the way, Althoff explained.
The concept of making a sanctuary for pollinators like monarchs is not new; it was first proposed by the HCA in 2017, inspired by a similar park in Belleview, Iowa. The goal has always been to offer a safe haven for monarchs while drawing more tourists to the area.
Despite support from the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Highway 13 Corridor Coalition, planning fell through due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Hughes.
In 2021, construction of the Little Otter Creek Reservoir project to provide a dependable water source in Caldwell County began.
Several original members of the butterfly park group joined Little Otter Creek’s planning, recognizing an opportunity to blend interests. The dam is currently about halfway done, resting on approximately 800 acres of land. About 350 acres of that land will be lake, leaving room around for activity — including 80 acres designated to be a pollinator haven.
With that measure came the revival of the butterfly trail in 2023.
Fluttering forward
The HCA has identified several project phases, the first of which focuses on securing partners and defining roles for implementing and maintaining the butterfly trail.
Partners include the University of Missouri Extension, Missouri Department of Economic Development, Missouri Conservation Department, Bee and Butterfly Habitat Fund, Allstate Consulting, National Park Service, Missouri Community Betterment, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Missouri Department of Transportation, United States Department of Agriculture, Smithsonian Institute, and Union Sportsman’s Association according to the project summary report.
Popular attractions like Dunn Ranch in Harrison County, Powell Gardens in Lafayette County, Springfield Botanical Gardens and the Butterfly Palace in Branson have agreed to be key locations along the butterfly trail along with the Little Otter Creek Reservoir.
Each location is expected to boost butterfly trail engagement by tapping into existing tourist traffic, helping to attract visitors and drive local tourism and economic growth.
The Springfield Botanical Gardens brings in about 850,000 tourists per year and has undergone several renovations, Botanical Center Coordinator Katie Steinhoff Keith said. Some of those include the Caterpillar Café — a teaching garden about the connectivity between plants and wildlife — and sections of stormwater drains that have been converted into marshy areas supporting the swamp milkweed plant for monarchs.
Powell Gardens and Dunn Ranch will maintain regular operations as part of the trail. Powell Gardens regularly brings in more than 100,000 tourists annually, Marketing Specialist Laina Burdette said. Dunn Ranch regularly brings in about 12,000 tourists annually, TNC Grazing and Grassland Coordinator Brett Perkins said.
The Butterfly Palace brings in about 140,000 tourists annually. Through conversations with the Division of Tourism, Hughes found that Branson draws about 10 million visitors annually, 80% of whom come from the north. About 3 million of these travelers pass through western Missouri via highways 49, 65 and 13.
With Little Otter Creek's full build out, the Department of Natural Resources has projected that it will attract about 66,000 visitors a year, he added.
“We've got the numbers there that can make this whole thing economically feasible,” Hughes said. “It's going to be a benefit for our destination stops, and there's the incentive in there for communities to get involved.”
The Missouri Prairie Foundation, which owns and operates five native prairie grass sites within the corridor’s 26-mile span on either side, is also on board with the trail.
The project hopes to create jobs in rural communities depending on how much funding is raised, Hughes said. Possible positions include marketing and research directors, as well as education and field specialists.
Hughes mentioned that funding cuts and freezes for The Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Conservation Reserve Program may limit resources available to farmers and conservation efforts, potentially slowing progress on the butterfly trail’s habitat restoration goals.
With that, Hughes still anticipates the butterfly trail will be fully operational in five years. The butterfly trail ultimately strives to serve as a model that can be replicated in other states, creating a pollinator corridor from Canada to Mexico.
“We start off with our little pebble here in Missouri, and then we just see how it grows and expands,” he said.
This story was originally published by the Missouri Business Alert, a fellow member of the KC Media Collective.
