LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky’s roadsides are buzzing with life and beauty thanks to a multi-year effort to create pollinator havens. In 2015, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) planted more than 100 pollinator plots, covering 200 acres along highways and roads across the Bluegrass State. Ten years later these once-sparse plots are now colorful havens filled with native flowers and grasses that have become a feast for bees, butterflies and other pollinators.

 “The cultivation of these pollinator plots is one of the many ways we strive to be good stewards of our highway network,” said Kentucky Transportation Secretary Jim Gray. “The habitats certainly help beautify our roadways, but more importantly we’ve improved our ecosystem, helped plants reproduce and ultimately built a better Kentucky.”

 “The beauty of the flowers is a secondary benefit,” says Mike Smith, KYTC Vice President overseeing the program. “The real purpose is to ensure the survival of pollinators, which are crucial for many native plants and animals.”

 Pollinators play a vital role in Kentucky’s agriculture, ensuring a healthy and abundant food supply. The diverse plants in these plots attract these creatures, who then transport pollen between flowers, promoting plant reproduction.

 Each acre of land cost about $5,000 to get started. Developing the plots took time. Crews meticulously removed competing vegetation and then reseeded with pollinator-friendly wildflowers. Mowing schedules are adjusted, meaning roadside areas are mowed regularly while pollinator plots are mowed less frequently to allow the habitat to flourish.

 Despite the cost, Smith said the impact is greater than people might realize, making it an important investment.

 Drivers can spot these pollinator havens in various locations, including medians, roadsides along interstates and parkways, and at the end of many highway exit ramps. Additionally, “Monarch butterfly waystations” with specific flowers have been established at welcome centers and rest areas.

 Each fall, hundreds of millions of monarch butterflies migrate from the United States and Canada to mountains in central Mexico where they wait out the winter until conditions favor a return flight in the spring. The monarch migration is one of the world’s greatest natural wonders. For this reason, one key perennial found in these plots is the Butterfly Milkweed, known for its stunning orange flowers that is especially attractive to monarch butterflies. 

 This year, the program expanded further, incorporating pollinator habitats into highway constructions projects on Interstate 69.

 This initiative offers a surprising safety benefit, too. Studies suggest that diverse roadside vegetation with varying heights can heighten driver alertness, potentially reducing accidents. Also, these havens may reduce deer-vehicle collisions by offering less of the fresh grass that attracts deer.

“It’s a national security issue, too,” Smith says, “because of you don’t have food, you don’t have security. In this current environment that we’re in with high food prices and everything, it’s even more important that we maintain our pollinators so that we’re able to produce as much food in this country as we can.”

 According to the USDA, more than 80 percent of the world’s flowing plants need a pollinator to reproduce. Much of what we eat comes from flowering crops. USDA estimates that one out of every three bits of our food, including fruits, vegetables, chocolate, coffee, nuts and spices is created with the help of pollinators.

 The KYTC makes use of 17 different native flowers in this ecosystem effort, flowers that provide valuable resources for pollinators, such as food, shelter and breeding grounds. Some native flowers can support over 100 pollinators, while others may only support a handful, but each plays a vital role in our ecosystem. Top native perennial plants found in these colorful havens include Butterfly Milkweed, Field Goldenrod, Joe-Pye Weed, Narrowleaf Sunflower and Orange Coneflower.

 The Goldenrod is Kentucky’s state flower, and more than 30 species are native. Field Goldenrod is a smaller variety that blooms from late summer to fall. They’re considered an excellent source of nectar and pollen for butterflies and bees. 

 Now that the program has proven successful, KYTC is implementing pollinator habitat zones in each of its new highway builds.

 “There will actually be pollinator acreage included in the new highway projects, so that will go in at the beginning instead of at the end of each build,” Smith said.

 Looking ahead, the KYTC is committed to maintaining these pollinator havens and expanding their reach across the entire state.