Williamsburg Pollinator Habitat

About the Program
The Bayer Williamsburg site is located about 15 miles west of Iowa City, just south of I-80. The team manages three acres of their property as a grassland to attract birds and pollinator species. Before converting this site to a grassland, it was utilized as cropland for soybeans. Bayer has a corporate commitment to conservation and has created a grassland habitat where a diverse collection of native grasses and forbs are able to flourish and thrive in a natural state.

Practices and Impacts

• The team consults with Pheasants Forever and the local fire department on management strategies (e.g. mowing and burning). In the past two years, the focus has been on removing invasive species and plantings that foster biodiversity within a native grassland community.
• In 2019, monitoring data showed that the bloom time for this site was from May until the end of September. Spiderwort, butterfly milkweed, purple coneflower, blazing star and prairie cinquefoil are a few of the flowering native plants on site. In addition, five beehives and several species of butterflies were observed.
• Sixteen bird boxes were installed at the tree line along the edge of the three acres to provide safe nesting sites for house wrens, tree swallows and bluebirds. Each year before breeding season, the team cleans out the bird boxes. Once birds start nesting, they monitor each box every two weeks.
• The team manages the site for their monarch-raising program. The team raises monarchs from eggs and then releases the adults on-site. They also manage the land by planting milkweed.