Chesapeake Bay Living: Botanical Gardens

Written by Michelle Davenport & Elizabeth Kimball

The Norfolk Botanical Gardens is a gem in the middle of the city.  If you ever get the chance to go, I highly recommend going there!

Recently Elizabeth and I headed out there for a little exploring.  I had never been before so Elizabeth and her lovely daughters took me out to explore.

There's so much to see that it's going to have to be broken up into a few blog posts.

The Butterfly House is going to be the first stop on our look of the Botanical Gardens.



The Butterfly House provides an unbelievable opportunity to observe butterflies as they circle and land on their favorite nectar flowers providing amazement and educational opportunities. It’s the perfect compliment to the 2.5 acre Bristow Butterfly Garden and the giant Butterfly Maze. 


I wish I had known about the Butterfly Maze before we had gone, but it was a lot of fun so I don't mind that we may have missed out.


I was a bit shocked at all the butterflies when we stepped in the enclosure.  I knew there would be some, but there were a lot more than I expected to see.  I loved that they had a handy guide so you could identify the butterflies and the flowers growing there.  You can learn about the habits and life cycles of each type of butterfly, as you spot their eggs on host plants and watch as the caterpillars continually eat and grow.  They had tied ribbons where eggs had been laid and they have a cage where all the chrysalis are.  If you're lucky, you'll get the opportunity to witness their final transformation as the chrysalis opens to reveal a beautiful butterfly.  

We even saw one butterfly try to make an escape.  That was a funny thing to behold.

So if you're ever in the area and have some time to kill, definitely give this place a try.

About the author: Michelle Davenport is the author of “Second Chances at East Beach” in By the Bay: East Beach Stories.  Her story “Tag!  You’re Dead” will be in Volume II, to be published in 2017.  For more information on Michelle, please visit her website. 

About the author: Elizabeth S. Kimball is the author of “The Gatlins Come to East Beach” which will be published in Volume II of By the Bay: East Beach Stories in 2017.