In Ohio, butterfly and bee habitats are springing up next to freeways

The Ohio Department of Transportation's Pollinator Habitat Program is changing the landscape of the state's busy freeways.

Launched in 2011, the program has several benefits, including increasing monarch butterfly and honey bee populations, cutting down on maintenance costs, and beautifying roadsides. The state saved $2.2 million last year because workers didn't have to mow as much, administrator Joel Hunt told WOSU, and he expects that number will grow as more flowers are planted.

The habitats are filled with milkweed — a monarch butterfly favorite — and sunflowers and Ohio spiderworts, covering 800 acres in 45 counties. This is only the beginning, as Hunt said the plan is to add 125 acres every year.

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