Growing up as a lad in lower Delaware where the soil is conducive to a wide variety of flora and insects, the sky was the limit to what could be explored. One of the most interesting and numerous insects that I found along the roadsides, ditch banks and farm lanes was the Monarch Butterfly.
Renowned for its brilliant orange and black wings (which also happened to be the same colors as my favorite baseball team at the time – the Baltimore Orioles), this beauty had become my 4th grade Science project! Since the Monarch Butterfly had four stages of metamorphosis, I had to collect each of them from the egg, to the larva (caterpillar) stage, through the Pupa Stage and finally collaring the Adult Monarch. Nothing to it; right up my alley!
Fast forward to 2025. I noticed that over the summer of 2025, I may have had only two sightings of my favorite butterfly in the gardens at Stuart Hill Bed and Breakfast! (No wonder the Baltimore Orioles had a bad year!) I knew that the Monarch Butterfly is dependent on the Milkweed plant (asclepias) for its survival as it lays its eggs on the leaves and then hatches and feeds exclusively on the plant. It’s a picky eater! The problem seems to be that Milkweed is being quickly wiped out due to overuse of pesticides and the spread of invasive species. That means…No Milkweed, No Monarch! Something had to be done! Presto… A garden of host plants and plants that attract all pollinators that would sustain our scrumptious Garden to Table Virginia grown breakfasts.
Presto… A garden of host plants and plants that attract all pollinators that would sustain our scrumptious Garden to Table Virginia grown breakfasts.
The planning has been completed and the planting has been achieved. The Pollinator Garden on the grounds of Stuart Hill Bed and Breakfast is going to attract some beautiful winged creatures this spring and summer and for years to come. It boasts of two varieties of Milkweed (that were very hard to find), Butterfly Bushes (buddleja Davidii) which are easy to grow and have a great ability to attract adult butterflies, Coneflowers (Echinacea) which are host plants for a variety of butterflies and rich in nectar for the beautiful flyers, Mexican Sunflowers (Tithonia Rotundifolia)-a wonderful annual flower to attract and feed other butterflies, as well as Fennel and Dill, both great for our Swallowtail friends.
So, if you come for a visit in 2026 for Springtime in the Blueridge, for a lovely Summertime adventure, or for leaf-peeping the Early Fall Foliage in Virginia, plan your stay at Stuart Hill where there will be the most splendid, fluttering, dancing, most beautiful swirling winged- creatures to grace our B & B. Why not come and wish them well!
