Wildflower Planting in the City of Okemah
City of Okemah receives a $2,500 grant from Color Oklahoma
It was a cold and blustery day, but that didn’t deter the group that gathered on Dec. 28 for the planting of 6 acres of wildflowers along the access road next to I-40 and the entrance ramp going west to Oklahoma City. The Wildflowers are part of a project that is a cooperative effort among the City of Waurika, Color Oklahoma with Wildflowers, The Okemah High School Class of 1974 and The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT).
Color Oklahoma is a committee of the non-profit Oklahoma Native Plant Society (www.oknativeplants.org) and strives to preserve native plants in the state and to promote Oklahoma’s wildflower heritage through education. Color Oklahoma buys native wildflower seeds that are sown along Oklahoma Highways and Turnpikes by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation or the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, as appropriate. Color Oklahoma provides a matching grant program and provides wildflower seeds for planting.
The wildflower seeds planted in Okemah were provided by grant funding from Color Oklahoma, with matching funds from a Class of 1974 alum who is also Chairman of the Board for Color Oklahoma. The donation was made in honor of the upcoming 50th graduation anniversary for the class. An additional donation was made by Color Oklahoma Board Member, Pearl Garrison, from Tulsa, who is Board Chairman Emeritus and a founder of the Color Oklahoma project.
Seeds were planted by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation with Joe Bradley, Transportation Superintendent overseeing the project.
Color Oklahoma receives funding from the sale of Oklahoma specialty license plates that feature the state wildflower the Gaillardia, more commonly known as the Indian Blanket. You can support their efforts to spread wildflowers seeds across Oklahoma by purchasing a Color Oklahoma Specialty License Plate when you renew your vehicle tag or purchase a new vehicle. Your local tag agent can help you or you can purchase online at https://oklahoma.gov/service/all-services/auto-vehicle/specialty-plates.html. Color Oklahoma receives $20 from each plate sold.
Jefferson County/City of Waurika Planting News
by Monica Bartling, Board Chairman, Color Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) works with Color Oklahoma (CO) and local communities to plant wildflowers across Oklahoma highways that are maintained by ODOT. The GFWC-OK Waurika Sorosis Club discovered Color Oklahoma’s wildflower grant program six years ago with 2023 being the fifth year to receive a grant from CO to plant wildflowers in the medians at U.S. Hwy 81 and U.S. Hwy 70. and all entrances to Waurika as well as the welcome signs across the Red River Bridge at both points entering Jefferson County from Texas. Through generous grants from Color Oklahoma, two Color Oklahoma Board Members, a local rancher and the Waurika Sorosis club just under $8,000 and 162 pounds of 21 varieties of seeds were planted last week.
“Our first year Sorosis Club invested $250 and a local business donated $250 for a $500 match from Color Oklahoma,” Elizabeth Scott, Sorosis Club Environmental Chair, explained. “ODOT planted $1,000 of seeds in seven acres along U.S. 81 and U.S. 70. We never would have imagined that five years later we would have enough funding to plant all the entrances to Waurika and two Jefferson County welcome to Oklahoma sites. We are so grateful to everyone who helped with this project to beautify our city and county.” “The wildflowers also attract pollinators to our area, which are vital for the environment.”
According to the USDA, Pollinators like honeybees, butterflies, birds, bats and other animals are hard at work providing vital but often unnoticed services. They pollinate crops like apples, bananas, blueberries, strawberries, melon, peaches, and potatoes. Three-fourths of the world’s flowering plants and about 35 percent of the world’s food crops depend on animal pollinators to reproduce. That’s one out of every three bites of food you eat. More than 3,500 species of native bees help increase crop yields. Some scientists estimate that one out of every three bites of food we eat exists because of animal pollinators like bees, butterflies and moths, birds and bats, and beetles and other insects.
Craig Williams, owner Williams Landscape and Color Oklahoma Board Member, talked about the partnership that Color Oklahoma has in Jefferson County. “Color Oklahoma invests grant funds along many Oklahoma highways and turnpikes and work with ODOT and the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA), as appropriate, for seeding. We greatly appreciate the cooperative effort here in Jefferson County where we work with Waurika city leaders, Jefferson County, local farmers and ranchers, the GFWC-OK Waurika Sorosis Club and ODOT to increase our planting area along JEFFCO highways each year,” Williams stated. “My personal goal is to see wildflowers planted on U.S. Hwy 70, U.S. Hwy 81 and OK Hwy, 5 across the state.” “Waurika is a shining example of getting community partners, county and city leaders involved in the local wildflower planting effort,” Williams continued. “Okemah is one of our newest planting sites coming up later this year and it was great for Joe Bradley, Transportation Superintendent for ODOT Division 3 to attend the Waurika planting to see how Billy Martin, ODOT Superintendent for Jefferson County and his team, manage the planning and planting for the Waurika project. The planting success rates certainly increase with proper storing, planting and project management of the seeds and seeding areas. Billy Martin is a great asset to our Waurika wildflower project.”
Color Oklahoma with wildflowers 