I am a biologist major at [university], currently going through ornithology research under a veteran ornithologist. I also plan to pursue honey bee related research. I am often outside and in the company of biologists, entomologists, and citizen scientists alike. They paint a rough picture but my young blood sees it as a perfect opportunity to prove to everyone that Arkansas is the Natural State and revitalize the scientific community in these parts.

I frequent [HWY] to [City}. I've noticed most of the side hills are washed out and eroding. I'm sure ARDOT has noticed too as there are several patches of large boulders that appear to break up water flow to prevent more wash out. There are better options that I may even be able to furnish supplies and labor for if the state approves.

Monarch Butterflies are slated to disappear entirely very soon with roughly 15% of the total population dying every year with a total of 90% population decrease since the 1990's 1,3. Several times between 2000 and 2010, hibernating populations in the West were hit with severe weather killing at least half of them2. Of course Arkansas cannot do anything about that in a state on a far coast but part of the problem has been attributed to the loss of much of their only host plant, the milkweed. Entomologists agree that the use of herbicides being more effective at killing everything except the crop have damaged population of vital, native flowers4. However milkweeds luckily have long taproots with fibrous branches that can drive down into the shoulders of [HWY] and hold soil in place beyond the reach of the unproductive grasses currently allowed to establish.

Monarchs are not the only ones in danger. For much of the same reasons, there have been insect biomass losses of up 75% in less than three decades,7,8. While some may celebrate thinking they never have to worry about another wasp, house fly, or mosquito, we know the consequences are much more far reaching. Elementary science classes teach of the food web. At the bottom are autotrophs who make their own food like plants and plankton. Then something like a grasshopper eats the autotroph. A dragonfly may eat this grasshopper, a bird then eats the dragonfly and at the top, a hawk may eat the bird. Or perhaps the autotroph is an oak tree that produces an acorn. Acorns house the acorn weevil and also feed squirrels. I know many people who readily hunt and eat squirrels. Most birds switch from fruit and seeds to insects during breeding season. It's all connected.

[HWY] is a fantastic candidate for a highway beautification project to turn the grassy washed out shoulders into insect sanctuaries who will then spread out into surrounding areas and help feed not only wildlife but ourselves with every third bite being made possible by a pollinator9. The sections I've personally seen are in [3 counties]; the way to [City]. They are not near many row crops and are well shielded from drift by many pine plantations. This portion, and likely others statewide, have a great opportunity to become as iconic as Texas highways in spring with their famous seas of Bluebonnets. The right blend of native wildflowers can color up these dull, eroded hills and might even attract more tourists seeking a scenic route to and from their destinations.

Milkweed has a long taproot that branches out and can hold soil in place deep down. The foliage is host to the beloved Monarch butterflies and the numerous bulbs of bright blooms with nectar so abundant it can be shaken out are loved by pollinators of all kinds. Golden Alexanders are host to the beautiful Black Swallowtail and bloom very early, before milkweeds, to provide an early boost to individuals coming out of dormancy, or leaving their hives' clusters while holding upper soils with their more fibrous roots. Purple Coneflowers are a prairie favorite and act much like the milkweed but do not root as deeply. Beebalm, also known as Wild Bergamot, is an all around for several butterflies, bees, moths and birds with shallower spreading roots. Sky Blue Asters finish out the season blooming in fall and have thick mats of fibrous roots that will protect soils. There are other options, these are just a few suggestions for year round color. It can even go deeper and include a line of tall flowers meant for hummingbirds like My section of [different HWY] is drenched in yellow every June/July from a previous beautification project. My own beehives start having a constant influx of red pollen right as those blooms appear. "Build it and they will come". Fauna will find it, no doubt as the area already has several blackberry colonies.

Should ARDOT like this idea, I can initiate research into plants, prices, spacing and other needs by the state. The communities I regular visit have begun to panic when those papers of mass insect losses began to make rounds. There's reports worldwide of less insect biomass. They are desperate to try to reverse it rather that wait and see if missing the base of ecosystem food chains is catastrophic. They are also very eager volunteers. Arkansas prides itself as The Natural State so we ought to prove it by blanketing bare spots in native plants instead of covering them with plain grey rocks. With more insects, we'll see more adults breeding in waters which feed fish, those fish support many predators from local people, to ducks, to bobcats, to bald eagles, to tourists lured by rumors of record catches in this state.

Refs (will organize later)

https://monarchwatch.org/bring-back-the-monarchs/campaign/the-details/

https://blog.nwf.org/2018/03/monarch-butterfly-2018-population-down-by-14-8-percent/

https://xerces.org/monarchs-old/mexican-overwintering-monarchs-graph/

https://e360.yale.edu/features/tracking_the_causes_of_sharp__decline_of_the_monarch_butterfly

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0185809

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/345/6195/401 (requires free log in, whould like to replace)

https://e360.yale.edu/features/insect_numbers_declining_why_it_matters