If you're looking for a truly transformative experience, why not become one with the butterflies?

“There are thousands of them throughout the world, and they’re all unique. They’re also flashy, colorful, and beautiful,” said Theresa Henckel, naturalist.

Theresa Henckel, a naturalist at Skytop Lodge, shows us around the Skytop Butterfly House.

The open-air, screened-in pavilion mimics the natural environment, while giving overnight guests at Skytop Lodge a unique and educational outing.

She added, “it’s about a 20-minute tour where I describe the life cycle of butterflies and caterpillars, and I also provide everybody with Q-tips saturated with Gatorade to hopefully try and feed the butterflies. Sometimes when you're walking around one will land on you, so I guess you can say it's truly an immersive experience.”

Theresa isn't just tending to these butterflies. In her office, she's also raising about 100 monarchs in the caterpillar stage, feeding them milkweed collected from Skytop's property.

“And they are truly very hungry caterpillars, they're eating so much right now,” Theresa laughed.

You might be surprised to learn that adult butterflies generally only live for about a week or two, depending on species and environment, but they play an important role.

“It’s a special thing to be able to see them, because they're only around for a short period of time. Butterflies and moths act as pollinators for a lot of different plant species. Pollinators are essential for so much genetic diversity in the world, not just the area,” Theresa explained.

Tucked between a garden and honeybee hives, the Butterfly House fits into the resort's landscape and long-term mission.

“Skytop has been around for almost 100 years, and from the beginning the slogan has been "it's in our nature." This area was always picked as a spot to be a beautiful outdoor space that people could enjoy,” Theresa said.

Theresa also connects Skytop guests with nature through guided hiking tours. Skytop Lodge has about a dozen private trails with scenic views of waterfalls and the Pocono Mountains.

“It is a very rewarding thing for me. I grew up not too far away in a similar landscape, and early on in my life, I realized that I have the privilege of living somewhere a lot of people go for vacation. It's a wonderful experience and I love taking people into the trail systems at Skytop, helping them explore something that I love to do. I feel very lucky,” Theresa smiled.

The Skytop Butterfly House is open select times between July and early September to overnight guests by reservation.