Mayors' Monarch Pledge

In 2017 the Mayor of Covington signed a proclamation to participate in the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge. Throughout the United States, local government officials are taking action to help save the monarch butterfly. By taking the pledge, the City is committing to restoring habitat and encouraging its’ residents to do the same through education as to how they can make a difference.

To read the article on the Mayors Monarch Pledge proclamation click, HERE.

To find out more information about the pledge click, HERE.

• Monarchwatch.org- Has general information about how to get your garden certified as well as resources for plants.
• Local nurseries in the area often carry milkweed and a variety of pollinator plants.
• Cincinnati Zoo Pollinator program, HERE.  
• USDA US Forest Service, HERE.

• Residents can help the monarchs by creating their own garden in their backyard or by volunteering for planting days and maintenance in City parks.
• Keep Covington Beautiful has a program called Adopt-a-Spot. Residents can register a spot which can be something they create or something already existing. They adopt the spot as their own and maintain it by checking on it once a week.
• Volunteer Opportunities-This spring the city is planting 3 gardens in parks throughout the city that need volunteers for maintenance. 
  • For more information on when the plantings occur and how to help contact the recreation office at 859-292-2151.

Goebel Park:

This pollinator garden was designed and installed in the spring of 2015 by Melissa Lucas of the NKY Sierra Club with assistance from other members, friends and family.  With no budget, the original plants were divisions from participants’ gardens and plants acquired at garden club plant swaps. We received Monarch Way Station designation in September 2015.

Later additions and improvements were made possible with support from Keep Covington Beautiful, Make Goebel Great, Sierra Club State and local groups and the Covington Parks and Recreation.

Today the garden includes more than 30 species of pollinator friendly perennials, shrubs and grasses including three types of milkweed -which are needed to feed monarch babies (caterpillars).

Randolph Park:

This garden was installed in spring of 2019 as part of the Great American Cleanup event at Randolph Park. The plant material for the garden was funded by the Urban Forestry Department and the educational signage for the garden was funded through a Kentucky Waterways Alliance grant. The garden was designed by Werbrichs landscaping. The community event was put on by Keep Covington Beautiful, Center for Great Neighborhoods, and the City. A lot of the volunteers came from Delta as well as Redden Gardens. For more information about this event click, HERE.

The garden has over 300 native pollinator friendly plants. Over 50 milkweed plants of 2 types can be found in the garden to help the monarch butterfly. Ongoing maintenance will be carried out by volunteers on a once a month basis.

Hands Pike Park:

This garden was installed in the spring of 2019 with the help of some community volunteers and the City’s Monarch Coalition. The plant material was funded by the Urban Forestry Department and the educational signage was funded by a Kentucky Waterways Alliance grant. The garden was designed by Werbrichs landscaping.

The garden has over 80 native pollinator friendly plants and 2 kinds of milkweed to help the monarch butterfly. Ongoing maintenance is done once a month with the help of volunteers.

Devou Park Gardens:

These gardens have been in the making since the first one was built in 2013. Since then Devous’ monarch gardens have grown to a total of 9 acres. With 4 prairies and one garden bed Devou hosts the most pollinator habit in the city. The prairies provide a wide variety of ecosystem benefits that help not only the monarch but a range of animals.

Peaselburg Park:

This garden was installed in the fall of 2019 with the help of some community volunteers and the City’s Monarch Coalition. The plant material was funded by the Urban Forestry Department and the educational signage was funded by a Kentucky Waterways Alliance grant. The garden was designed by Werbrichs landscaping. The garden has over 50 pollinator plants and features 2 kinds of milkweed to help the monarch butterfly.  

Detention Basins:

These gardens were created in the spring of 2016 in partnership with SD1. With a total of 2 acres of pollinator habitat the detention basins offer a wide range of ecosystem services. Including reducing flood impacts, providing a home for native pollinators, and a home for bats. The basin located at 19^th and Benton also has educational signage from the Kentucky Waterways Alliance grant that will be used to teach local elementary students about the importance of greenspaces such as this detention basin.