Building Neighborhoods for Nature and Pollinators

Monarch butterflies and several other pollinator species have been declining at an alarming rate for the past decade. When Trish Morris learned of this during her year in the Oklahoma Conservation Leadership Academy (OCLA), she knew what she could do to help.

Trish is the Community Development Project Manager with Ideal Homes, a housing development company based in Oklahoma. In her role, she saw an opportunity not only to enhance the neighborhoods they build but to help protect monarchs and pollinators too.

We sat down with her to learn more about her inspiration and how the project is coming along.

Is this the project at Trailwoods addition the first its kind for Ideal Homes?

We have some other butterfly gardens, but they were lacking the correct plants. Since taking this on, I am working to add milkweed to the other existing gardens, like at Greenleaf Trails, and start tweaking those as much as we can.

Many people think because I work for a homebuilder and developer that loving nature and my job cannot coexist. But over the years, Ideal Homes has given me the freedom to search out new ways to bring nature into our neighborhoods and really get serious about getting our butterfly gardens beyond just something pretty to look at. 

How did your experience with Oklahoma Conservation Leadership Academy (OCLA) influence this project?

Making the several trips I have with OCLA (and on my own) to the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, I gained some great ideas on helping pollinators. We were already trying to do somethings, but it needed tweaking. I also learned more about why pollinators are so important. Seeing that other organizations and companies were doing pollinator gardens correctly made me want to try harder and get it right. That way we could better design our communities to teach others about the need to help pollinators and specifically the monarch butterfly.

What was your interest for participating in OCLA?

The first year I was excited to learn about nature in Oklahoma. I grew up kind of spoiled with the mountains and ocean right in reach, so Oklahoma never seemed like it had all that much. I was excited to go to the preserves and learn more. Each year I felt like we had bigger and better topics at lunch-and-learn sessions. I looked forward to hearing others’ ideas on how they were making changes.

Would you encourage others to participate in OCLA?

OCLA is a great network for ideas for anyone looking to learn. Participating in this group can help make a difference or even just looking to learn more about the Oklahoma landscape and how amazing it is once you peel back the layers. They need to do it!

What is your biggest takeaway from your OCLA experience?

Oklahoma has some of the most amazing landscapes! I would have never learned this had I not participated in OCLA. And, I have gained a newfound love of bison and butterflies.

Any tips, tricks or words of encouragement for developers who might be interested in replicating this type of pollinator project?

There are so many resources out there to get it right, and just a small garden can make an impact. Of course, they are welcome to search me out. I would be happy to walk them through our garden! I have also been super fortunate to spend the time I have with the team at TNC. Their knowledge and passion rub off on you so quick, and they are always willing to help out and offer their know-how to make an idea into a great project.