Summer 2024: Pollinator Steward Certified

It has been a minute since I updated the blog, and by the header and title of this entry, I’m guessing you can tell that I am a certified Pollinator Steward (via Pollinator Partnership).

Accomplishing this goal meant a lot to me, and while no one asked for my reason behind my doing this, I’m going to go ahead and talk about it.

I hold myself to a very high standard, oftentimes in a way where I am not fair to myself—I am my own worst critic. But since rediscovering my passion for the Monarchs as an adult, I’ve gone down this entire rabbit hole to where I am today, with no end in sight. I feel very called to speak on and educate about Monarchs, pollinator conservation, and gardening with native plants—but I do not have a degree in environmental science. I’m a creative/marketing professional. I have often felt imposter syndrome as I do not have any related credentials in any field related to what I educate on as a digital creator. When I came across this program, I jumped at the chance to earn a credential—I want to always continue to educate myself and be more qualified to speak on these very important issues. For me, accomplishing this gets me started (and eases my anxiety).

I look back to 2017 when this journey began and I cannot believe how far I’ve come, how much I’ve learned, and how much I want to continue to learn and be a better citizen scientist and pollinator steward. I am the classic example of someone who followed the Monarch through the gateway into this calling to help other pollinators, focus less on rearing, and really zero in on what the main mission should be: creating and protecting habitat with native plants.

From here, I have more ideas of what to do next. In no particular order (but one at a time), I will likely participate in Monarch Joint Venture’s Monarch Larva Monitoring Project and Monarch Essentials program. Naturally, I plan on continuing my work on TikTok but also am thinking of ways to expand my impact further—ideally with my creative talents of photography and illustration.

Speaking of photography, below are some recent images I have taken in a prairie near our house. I love visiting the prairie to see what’s growing and what life can be found.

xoxo Emily