Monarch Butterflies Nurtured by Howard County Students

Thanks to the generosity of local nature lovers and the support of The Howard Hughes Corporation, third grade students in Howard County will get a hands-on experience nurturing the transformation of caterpillars into Monarch Butterflies.

During this year’s Giving Tuesday, the Howard County Conservancy offered donors the opportunity of doubling their gift through a matching $1,500 contribution from The Howard Hughes Corporation. The Conservancy was overwhelmed when HHC’s $1,500 gift garnered another $7,500, for a record-breaking total of $9,000 in contributions to help fund the Conservancy’s Monarch Butterfly Education Program with the Howard County Public School System which provides students the unique opportunity to observe close-up the full life cycle of a butterfly in the classroom – from chrysalis to Monarchs.

The idea for the match by HHC came from Arianne Monroe, the attorney for HHC in the Columbia Regional Office who serves on the Conservancy’s Development Committee. Monroe saw the symbolism of HHC’s redevelopment of Downtown Columbia: the transformation of raw land into a beautiful new community of residences, offices, stores and gathering places. Symphony Woods, she noted, already includes the striking amphitheatre called the Chrysalis, and there are plans for a future building called the Butterfly.

The Conservancy is a leader in environmental education with the largest land trust in Howard County with two nature centers, Mt. Pleasant in Woodstock and Belmont in Elkridge. Programs hosted by the Conservancy reached over 18,000 students in 14 counties and provided training for over 700 teachers through a 15-year partnership with the Howard County Public School System. The Monarch Butterfly program coincides with a third grade unit in which students study life cycles of plants and animals, including growing milkweed plants, the food for the Monarchs, from seed.

About The Howard Hughes Corporation

The Howard Hughes Corporation owns, manages and develops commercial, residential and mixed-use real estate throughout the U.S. Its award-winning assets include the country’s preeminent portfolio of master planned communities, as well as operating properties and development opportunities including: The Seaport District NYC in New York; Columbia, Maryland; The Woodlands®, The Woodlands Hills, and Bridgeland® in the Greater Houston, Texas area; Summerlin®, Las Vegas; and Ward Village® in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. The Howard Hughes Corporation’s portfolio is strategically positioned to meet and accelerate development based on market demand, resulting in one of the strongest real estate platforms in the country. Dedicated to innovative placemaking, the company is recognized for its ongoing commitment to design excellence and to the cultural life of its communities. The Howard Hughes Corporation is traded on the New York Stock Exchange as HHC. For additional information about HHC, visit www.howardhughes.com.