Norfolk Master Gardeners
830 Southampton Ave., Ste 2069
Norfolk, Virginia 23510-1045
Monday Morning Monarch Magnificence
Many of you have visited and volunteered at Norfolk Botanical Garden’s Butterfly House. This is the most visited location in the garden during the summer. On a recent morning, I was among a few Norfolk Master Gardeners working in the Butterfly House. It is well worth a visit this
season to take in its refurbished entrances, enhanced signage, updated education station, lush plantings and host plants, and too many beautiful caterpillars, butterflies and moths to count.
This blistery hot morning, there were surprisingly many visitors and many with children. Even if they may have been on their way to the Children’s splash pad to cool off, they were eager, interested, and fully enchanted by all of nature’s activities inside the Butterfly House. One
barely understandable preschooler stopped me, pointing excitedly “Look at the chrysalis!” And indeed, not only was the chrysalis chamber host to dozens of chrysalides, but two Monarchs had just emerged and were hanging in wait for their wings to dry. The visitors of all ages
seemed interested, well-informed, and eager to see and learn more. They were thrilled as they witnessed a third Monarch emerging.
As we know, Monarch butterflies go through four stages during one life cycle and through four generations in one year. While we are familiar with the four stages of the monarch butterfly life cycle -- the egg, the larva (caterpillar), the pupa (chrysalis), and the adult butterfly -- it is a rare delight to be able to see and teach visitors about all four stages simultaneously!
The Butterfly House still has many open shifts for the rest of this summer. I encourage interested MGs who have become NBG volunteers and have received Butterfly House training to sign up and go be inspired! The visitor experience is significantly enriched by the presence of enthusiastic knowledgeable MG volunteers. As Taylor Lyons the Volunteer Coordinator says “Our guests leave here with wonderful memories of what they learned in the Butterfly House and that can't happen without you!”
Monday morning the sharing of knowledge, inspiring education connecting to nature, was on display. I am grateful that we have Virginia’s largest botanical garden in our backyard and that MGs have an enduring partnership there.
Learn more here about the over 50 types of butterflies likely to be seen in the Tidewater area, many of them in the butterfly house. https://norfolkbotanicalgarden.org/butterflies-in-the-garden/
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