Sonoma County’s Oldest Butterfly Garden
Community is everything!
How did Hallberg Butterfly Gardens come to be?
Louise Hallberg (1917-2017) lived on what was once the Hallberg Ranch her entire life. She sincerely appreciated the wildlife in the gardens around her home. Over the years, Louise developed a passion for protecting the butterflies, quails, swifts, and other lives that thrived as she expanded her gardens. She was particularly inspired by the ‘miracle’ of the butterfly life cycle. With butterflies as a “gateway” into habitat conservation, Louise realized she indirectly provided for many other animals by focusing on the needs of butterflies. After retiring in 1975, she dedicated all her time to supporting butterfly habitats. In 1988, Louise received her first visitor request from Oak Grove School to see the butterflies in her gardens, and students continued to visit our teaching garden each year after. Hallberg Butterfly Gardens was established as a teaching garden and nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization in 1997 by Louise. We continue today as a place for visitors to connect with and learn from the environments our environment.
Welcome to Hallberg Butterfly Gardens
Connect with your surroundings
We are a nine-acre, wildlife sanctuary and demonstration garden with a focus on the support of Lepidoptera (moths & butterflies) and other pollinators. We support environmental education, the power of observation, and the celebration of our community. Hallberg Butterfly Gardens is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization in 1997.
The Pipevine Plant and Butterfly.
A curious vine called the Dutchman’s pipe or simply ‘pipevine’ (Aristolochia californica) established our sanctuary as one of the oldest butterfly gardens in the country. Della Hallberg, Louise’s mother, planted the native Dutchman’s Pipe in the 1920s after finding it along a local country roadside. This plant is the only food (host plant) for the caterpillar of the pipevine swallowtail butterfly—this butterfly’s activity primarily peaks through the spring. Many eggs, caterpillars, and butterflies are often seen on the pipevine plant in front of the Hallberg home through June. While visitors to the gardens may witness the wondrous metamorphosis of the butterfly, even more, important may be their own transformation as they experience a new awareness of their surroundings.
Why Support Butterflies?
Butterflies and moths are insects belonging to a scientific group named Lepidoptera. Understanding butterflies can help us support our local wildlife because moths and butterflies provide critical functions within their ecosystem. Habitat loss is an enormous threat to native butterfly species and many other animals.
Providing for butterflies supports a community.
To date, more than 54 varieties of butterflies are listed in Hallberg Butterfly Gardens observation records. Please visit our Butterfly Information page to learn more about the butterfly life cycle and their activity in the Gardens. Click here to see Current Butterfly Activity