I love Hallberg Butterfly Gardens (see previous review). But while they get five stars for concept and purpose - butterfly conservation and education - they get one star in execution. In all the times I've been here - and it's many over the years - I have never seen a single employee on the property. There is no one available to answer questions, tell you about butterflies, or even discuss events. We signed up for an event today, and there was not a single person on the property. We wandered around for an hour and found NO ONE. Oddly enough, you can't get in touch with them via phone, either, because no one ever answers. Try for yourself and see. There's no outgoing info when you call, and you cannot leave a message. Amazingly, there aren't even posters displaying the different types of butterflies you might see, or how to identify them. Given that this place focuses on butterfly education, you would think they would offer some education...? Moreover, the place is falling apart - it's run down with poor signage. There's also a massive amount of disorganization: we signed up for one event on 7/2, and got confirmation for an event that already happened weeks ago. There was no info contained in the email beyond the gate code and the time to show up. We didn't know if someone would be leading the event or if we would be meeting people there. (Answer: no and no.) Hiring a part-time assistant to organize public events that attract people here would be a worthwhile investment, one would think...? I am ALL about natural spaces and supporting science education, and have always supposed the Gardens -- but if this place wants to make money and keep fans, they need to prioritize, even minimally, the people and events that support their existence. read more

What a local gem! I grew up in Sonoma County and I was just about today years old when I discovered this spot. Louise Hallberg was the original matriarch who created this property and lived to be over 100! In her 60's she began to cultivate and grow this beautiful space. It's truly a labor of love that is still preserved today. Donation based, you can schedule a self guided tour to view the gardens. We scheduled online and brought a picnic which was a wonderful idea and perfectly lovely afternoon in the meadow. We didn't see a lot of butterflies but that's ok. The property is lovingly tended by many volunteers. Truly a hidden gem in West County. read more

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Quiet, peaceful. Recently visited and really enjoyed strolling through the gardens and learning about which butterflies enjoy native plants and we were excited to purchase a few plants at their on-site plant sale. Inspired to create a butterfly garden/habitat garden at home. I wish we came to visit before this year to see the giant Black Oak that came down in January of 2023. Most of the branches are on the property and it was awesome to imagine how majestic a tree it must have been. Few butterflies on an unusually cool May day, so will hope to return when it's warmer and sunnier. read more

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This place is a hidden gem! We made a reservation and were able to do a self guided tour around the property. It is beautiful! Most of the plants are labeled which was awesome. We saw deer, dragonflies, bees, birds and of course, butterflies and caterpillars. The path is narrow, slight elevation changes with steps and hills and one spot with stairs is optional. It felt a little weird walking around the house as people were coming out as we were walking up, but it's part of the tour, so we just continued on. read more

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This was my second visit and took a lovely stroll around the property, but I didn't see one butterfly! Not enough signage detailing the plants that were numbered. Basically just numbers! I left my donation but don't plan on returning. read more

We were expecting a butterfly sanctuary where we could go inside an enclosed are and have butterflies land on us and see lots of beautiful butterflies. Instead, it's more of a place to go learn about butterfly species and their habitat. I'm sure it's nice if that's what you are looking for but that's not what we were expecting. We saw one little white butterfly while walking down the path. read more

sadly the last two times I have been here it was sorta a mess. sadly we didn't see any butterflies the first time and the second only two. I have fond memories of this spot and so hope that they can restore it to its former glory. thank you to all that care and steward the land. may it start flourishing soon. thank you read more

What a community treasure. First off, the grounds are gorgeous, totally lush with native plants and wildflowers, and I went in July so it was pollinator heaven, you couldn't look anywhere without seeing blossoms just oozing pollen. I felt like I had stepped back in time to visit the original Secret Garden. The woman who met us near the apple orchard was charming and seemed to have an encyclopedic understanding of the life of insects and their relationships to plants. The grounds are old, which is a part of the magic- butterflies painted on old barns, rambling wild roses, passage ways flanked by goldenrod and seemingly ancient bay trees. I have never seen so many quails, hummingbirds and bees! Best of all, my daughter and I wanted to wander, we aren't necessarily tour types, and the docent seemed to get this right away. She just let us go do our thing. We are signing up for one of the Moth Nights, now that we know about it. I read other reviews about folks feeling disappointment in not seeing butterflies, and as a naturalist, I have to laugh. One, butterflies are like all of us, they have times that they are around and other times they are not. Some live locally, some just pass through. Depending on the time of day, where you are standing, etc, you may see a ton or none. Welcome to nature. As for people wanting posters- no thank you! So tacky. Buy a guide book, observe, schedule a tour. Personally I don't want this garden to have the feel of a museum, I want to wander, wonder, observe, and hopefully, leave with a feeling of curiosity that I can continue to explore. read more

A very tranquil, appealing place that also sells good quality plants for attracting insect pollinators.

This place is great for a morning/afternoon stroll. Leisurely path winds through gardens, tree groves, and old buildings. Takes about 45 minutes to complete the loop. You can book online and it is donation based. Don't miss out on this hidden gem in our own Sonoma County backyard! read more

Did you know that a butterfly spends only about 2 weeks as a butterfly. Most of it's life is spent as a caterpillar or in the chrysalis phase (cocoon, this can be more than a year!). Only 10% of caterpillars make it to butterflies. So butterflies really are miracles! I learned this and more at the Hallberg Gardens. Also saw birds, picked blackberries, All of this is for FREE! Yep! Please give a donation though. To get a tour all you have to do it text or call and get a tour time. read more

This is a magical place where they honor nature, 40 species of butterflies have been seen here, yet you may only see 4 to 5 species at a time. This is nature. This is local. This is reality, real experience with the natural world most of us shy away from. Open your heart, open your love to the wonders of this beautiful world! Tours are available April through October. I hope you feel the magic! It's a wonderful place to just be. Xoxo Love, kindness and care! read more

Louise Hallberg is amazing and makes a side trek to Hallberg Butterfly Gardens worth it if you are in the area. Louise took a group of 10 ladies this past weekend meandering, telling us about the different types of butterflies that frequent her sanctuary and the impact of global warming. Louise older than 90 (according to the brochure and website), and despite her arthritic hands and slow pace, she's engaging and much more spry that you would think. She pointed to small monarch eggs (the size of a period) on the back of some milkweed. That said, it's not the gardens you would imagine from a story book, with butterflies floating everywhere. The reality a lot of the plants that the various species of butterflies prefer are not so beautiful. It's not huge, but I can imagine in the spring it's much more full of life. You can do a self-guided tour, but it was much more pleasurable to have Louise guide us. We did call in advance for our group of 10 and she was quite flexible with our ever changing schedule. Be aware that because it's set up for butterflies other pollinators (such as bees) are plentiful. If you have allergies to either bees or pollen, you might want to be forewarned. I imagine this would be great for kids, it was a nice place to sit and look around and Louise can tell stories of the wild turkeys that have come onto the property as well as the Anise butterfly that wouldn't nest in the fennel plants some professor planted. A review of the website shows that there are no prices - as it is entirely up to you to make a donation. For our group, the suggested donation was $25. A bargain, considering this gem of a lady and a place. read more

The last time we visited there years ago, there really wasn't much of anything to see. There were very few butterflies at all. Maybe it was the wrong time of year, or the wrong weekend to do this. [It's an annual event]. It was way too overcrowded to be enjoyable anyway, even if there were a lot of beautiful butterflies, as there used to be in prior years. It's a good thing it's still free, since it's certainly not worth paying for anymore. read more

This is a truly special place. We saw and learned about butterflies, caterpillars, dragon flies, and the plants that form their habitat. It's wondrous what one person can create through incremental effort and dedication. Many thanks to Miss Hallberg for sharing her lovely garden. We'll be back again soon! read more

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I have been wanting to photograph different species of butterflies and was trying to find a place the could produce as many photo opportunities as possible. I found the Hallberg Butterfly Gardens website and called to make an appointment. I spoke to Louise and she was happy to fit me into my schedule even when one of their tours was full. Louise took the time to talk to me about everything that was going on at the gardens. She also filled me in on the Swift birds that were trying to build nests in her Chimney. Then I ran into Leah and she was a delight - very helpful and knowledgeable - she guides the tours. She suggested that if I was taking photos I should get ahead of the group and do a self guided tour. I ended up with a lot of nice photos and they can be viewed on http://www.flickr.com/photos/wdunby/sets/72157634493177011/ . This is a great place to bring kids to learn about nature in general. read more

I want to be Louise Hallberg when I grow up. She started her garden in 1990 when she was in her 70's and she is still going strong, planning a complete ecosystem and planting habitat in her 90's. Louise isn't just tracking butterflies. She also tracks the birds (quail, woodpeckers), foxes, bees, dragonflies - the whole system. She has all the statistics on how many butterflies she saw, what kind and which years. The downward trend in the number of butterflies in her garden, which get additional habitat planted each year, is alarming. If you like native plants, native fauna and/or native systems, please consider making an appointment to visit this garden while Louise makes it available. Don't let the Financial Times scary article, "A Matter of Good Breeding" by Sophy Roberts, 6/6/2010, come true on butterflies only being the province of the very rich. http://www.howtospendit.com/#/articles/1880-a-matter-of-good-breeding read more

How sweet it is!!! Well worth the day trip from CCC. I was getting a little turned around heading the direction, so I called the women, and she guided. It's best to call prior to a visit, highly reccomend that. Butterflies are beautiful, I'd have to say that they are my favorite insect. Just the colors and the whole process of going from being a caterpillar to a butterfly. This is basically along a dirt road. One thing you definetely want to keep in mind, when there are butterflies and flowers there also tends to be BEE'S, so be careful, no pun intended. Have a great time when you come here in this gorgeous gardens, butterflies are amazing, and the women that runs this place rocks. read more

We were so looking forward to the Butterfly Garden, but alas it was a disappointment. We only saw about 6 butterflies which by no means is that the owner's fault...more of a statement about the environment. Louise was our guide and this is where she has lived all of her life. She is well into her 90s and it is very impressive that she is still able to provide tours. However, she was unable to answer many of our questions due to poor hearing and eyesight. I'm sure the gardens were very impressive at one point, but that is no longer the case. Much of the vegetation is overgrown, the trails are no longer well defined and you had to be very careful where you were walking. read more

Sweet spot, beautiful butterflies, but the grounds are wildly overgrown and need a lot of care. My 2 young children really enjoyed discovering the butterflies and caterpillars. read more

The hour long tour is wonderful and educational. Louise is an absolute angel. She will give you an in person tour of the gardens she has created and cared for. You can identify many types of butterflys and plants with Louise's help, and she can tell you about the changes to the land that have occurred over the years. Ask her about the depletion of the water tables as a result of the shift in crops from apples to grapes and the increased population in the area. It is wonderful to meet someone who is so knowledgeable about the land, plants, and animals in Sonoma... especially the butterflys! Louise will wait outside for you at the time of your appt (she is 90), so be sure to give her the courtesy of calling ahead to cancel if you cannot make it to your reservation. And kick down for the donation for crying out loud! She does most of this out of her own pocket, and out of the goodness of her heart. read more