About Rochester Pollinators

Rochester Pollinators was Founded in 2019 to Save the Monarch Butterfly—It's Now So Much More

The Rochester Pollinators and their work in spreading the word, planting gardens, holding workshops, and much more has made the City of Rochester 1 of 5 cities in the nation awarded the National Wildlife Federation Mayors Monarch Pledge Champion Award!

Who We Are

Welcome to the buzz-worthy world of the Rochester Pollinators! We're not your average non-profit organization — we're passionate people dedicated to saving our native pollinators by restoring their natural habitats in home landscapes and gardens.

Our story began in 2019, when our founder and local businesswoman, Marilyn Trent (president of Trent Creative), discovered that the Monarch butterfly population had decreased by a staggering 90% in the past two decades due to habitat loss. She knew that something had to be done to reverse this trend, so she proposed the idea of planting milkweeds and native flowering plants in the city's landscaping to the City of Rochester. And guess what? They said yes! Just like that, Rochester Pollinators was born.

Since then, we've expanded our focus to include all native pollinators, birds, and wildlife in our mission. Our strategy is simple - restore native habitats by planting native plants. And it's working! The City of Rochester now boasts five public gardens featuring native plantings and a 13-acre park with a restored prairie remnant. Even downtown Rochester is getting in on the action with milkweeds and other native flowers in their bump-outs along Main Street.

But we're not just stopping there— we want to spread the love for native plants and help other cities and towns restore their habitats too. In our outreach, we have empowered hundreds of residents in Rochester, Michigan, and neighboring towns to grow native plants in their own yards and communal spaces.

Join us in our mission to save our native pollinators, birds, and wildlife - one native plant at a time! We're always happy to share our knowledge and expertise, so if you have any questions or want to connect with us, please reach out to us at pollinators@trentcreative.com.

What We Do

Each year, the Rochester Pollinators:

Give away 100's milkweed plants (and other native seedlings) at the Downtown Rochester Farmers' Market and other events
Increase native plantings and pollinator gardens in the City of Rochester
Give a variety of presentations and workshops in Rochester and surrounding cities
Promote & advocate for conservation & sustainability at city and regional events
Manage & maintain a free native seed library at Dinosaur Hill Nature Preserve  
Maintain Facebook and Instagram channels with 1,700+ followers
Send out bi-monthly newsletters to 1,200+ subscribers

You can save our pollinators all year round!

How We Are Funded

The supporting sponsor for Rochester Pollinators is Trent Creative, a design firm that wants to give back to the community.

The Rochester Pollinators supplements the costs by raising funds through native plant sales each spring and fall at the Rochester Farmers Market and selling Rochester Pollinator swag through:

The Rochester Pollinators Etsy Shop
Bizzy Buzz Artisan Market at 409 S Main St, Rochester, MI 48307, in Downtown Rochester.

Proceeds from plant and swag sales are donated to the City of Rochester, Butterfly Pledge.

If you would like to donate, go to Donate.

We are a volunteer-based organization with over 145 passionate pollinator enthusiasts and committed volunteers who help us fulfill our mission.

Our Mission

Rochester Pollinators’ mission is to provide education and resources to preserve the Monarch butterfly and pollinator population. We believe every citizen can help our local pollinators flourish by reintroducing Michigan native plants into local landscapes, including home gardens, businesses, and municipal landscapes. We aim to reach as many people as we can with this message!