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.