Berea College

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The Laurie Roelofs Pollinator Garden sits within the old foundation for <a href="https://libraryguides.berea.edu/rusticcottage" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Rustic Cottage</a>, which was built in 1901 and served many purposes until it was demolished in 2008 for the construction of Fee Glade. The area was turned into a garden. When Laurie Roelofs became First Lady of the college in 2012, she drew on her love of teaching, the environment, and monarch butterflies to develop monarch waystations around campus. In 2014, the garden became officially recognized as a registered monarch waystation and it has provided numerous learning opportunities to for students to learn about monarchs and their lifecycle. You can read more about Mrs. Roelofs work <a href="https://magazine.berea.edu/campus-initiatives/taking-flight/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.

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Lyle Roelofs retired from Berea College in 2023 and upon Lyle and Laurie's leaving, the care of the garden was taken over by Katie Berry and Christina Hoddinott, who are striving to keep the garden a safe haven for pollinators of all types, including monarchs. To recognize the wonderful work Laurie has done, they decided to name the garden in her honor.