Pollinators at Heritage Park

Pollinators at Heritage Park. . , Monarch migration path , Did you know?, Munster Indiana is on the direct path that Monarchs fly north from Mexico in the spring and south from Canada in the fall., We help by providing Milkweed as their host plants for the caterpillars, and nectar from native flowers, especially late summer blooms., The trees provide shelter for butterflies at night., Pollination is a partnership!, Life cycle of the monarch butterfly, Mama monarchs lay a small pointy egg on the underside of a milkweed leaf., The egg will hatch in a couple of days., The small caterpillar larvae will eat and eat and eat its host plant, milkweed!, The hungry catterpillar will grow up to 3" long and sprout antennae and grippy feet that keeps it firmly on its host plant through rain and wind., The caterpillar eats until its ready to rest in its chrysalis and in a few weeks it will change from green to clear and emerge as a beautiful butterfly!, [Photo captions:] , nenwesh (potawatomi), milkweed (english) , me'me'ge' (potawatomi), butterfly (english), Heritage Park Natural History, Timeline, 12,000 yrs ago , Ridge Road was called the Calumet Shoreline of Lake Michigan, 11,200 yrs ago , The lake level dropped 30 feet revealing a sandy dune and wetlands, From 11,200 BC to the 18th century , Potawatomi and Miami Tribes used the trail known as the Calumet Beach Trail, as a short cut between the Great Lakes and the Great Prairies. Vast wetlands were known as the Cady-Marsh; the rich soil grew ancient mnomen rice farmed for centuries by Indian Tribes., 1837 , The Indian Trail was widened for stagecoach use and named The Old Pike. The Gibson Inn was the first building in Munster, built here as a respite for travelers, 1845 , The Brass Family Tavern replaced the Gibson Inn, Stallbohm barn came later, 1910 , The Kaske House was built by the local Kooy Brothers, 1986 , Helen Kaske Bieker sells her land to the Town of Munster. Munster parks renames the area Heritage Park and Bieker Woods, 1997 , Munster becomes a Tree City, 2006 , The Woodland Restoration Project helped to restore the Oak Savanna woodland, 2022 , Heritage Park is a Monarch Waystation and Munster becomes a Monarch City, 2023 , 1st Monarch Fest, Current day, , many volunteers help out at Heritage Park!