Lakeview Plymouth Energy in Merrill, Iowa is the latest ethanol plant to become a monarch fueling station.

The plant has dedicated two acres of green space on plant grounds to monarch habitat which was seeded last June 2017 and this summer is seeing its first strong growth of milkweed plants, which monarch butterflies need for egg laying.

“At Lakeview Plymouth Energy we work every day to create a product that supports Iowa farmers and the environment,” said Joe Williams, plant manager. “We were excited to take on a project that allows us to do that in a whole new way. When we learned how easy it is to establish monarch habitat we jumped at the opportunity. We will continue to look for new opportunities to grow Iowa’s rural economy and protect our environment.”

The Monarch Fueling Station Project was established by Iowa Renewable Fuels Association in partnership with the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium in 2017 to help Iowa’s ethanol and biodiesel plants establish patches of monarch habitat on plant grounds.