Cincinnati Nature Center teams up with Graeter’s and LaRosa’s to provide free seed packets to help pollinators

Earth Day is coming up April 22. What better way to celebrate than to show your local pollinator population – like birds, bees and butterflies – a little love?

Cincinnati Nature Center – along with partners Graeter’s Ice Cream and LaRosa’s Family Pizzeria – is leading an effort to get more native plants growing in our area.

Why? Because pollinators depend on them!

Take the monarch butterfly, for example. The female butterflies only lay their eggs on milkweed plants and monarch caterpillars only eat milkweed, which they need for their growth and development into a butterfly. Without enough milkweed, the monarch’s future is in jeopardy.

Starting Earth Day, packets with an assortment of native milkweed, coneflower and black-eyed Susan seeds will be available at all area Graeter’s and LaRosa’s locations for customers to pick up for free and plant in their yards. The partnership started in 2014 and is helping to create healthy, native habitats in our region.

Plus, native plants are easier to grow and maintain – two green thumbs up!

“Every year, we look forward to partnering with Cincinnati Nature Center,” said Chip Graeter from Graeter’s Ice Cream. “Our stores will have plenty of seeds and we’re excited to help give them away. What a fantastic cause.”

LaRosa’s, Inc. CEO Mike LaRosa added, “We’re happy to continue supporting Cincinnati Nature Center. The seeds our guest’s plant will help pollinators make our environment better for all our families.”

To learn more about Cincinnati Nature Center and its conservation programs, visit www.cincynature.org/conservation