Hallberg Butterfly Gardens continues tradition following founder’s passing

Louise Hallberg, the late matriarch of Hallberg Butterfly Gardens in Graton, had one wish as she approached her 100th birthday. She wanted the assurance her 9-acre haven for butterflies would remain open after her death.

Today, as volunteers welcome visitors to the 20th annual Open Gardens Celebration, it’s in tribute to Hallberg, who died in February, shortly after her centennial birthday.

Affectionately known as “The Butterfly Lady,” Hallberg dedicated much of her life to learning about butterflies and their habitats - and then sharing that knowledge with thousands of visitors, from local school kids to garden club members to those simply intrigued by the beauty of butterflies.

Her lifelong homestead on a farm settled by her grandparents in 1883 is abundant with the plants, flowers, shrubs, trees, herbs and weeds important to the life cycle of butterflies.

A recirculating stream is among the latest additions; a dragonfly pond and several trails along the hilly, intentionally overgrown property provide visitors a sense of wonder and adventure while looking for teeny-tiny eggs, caterpillars, chrysalids and butterflies.

Trees, including oaks and redwoods, dot the property. A heritage black oak near Hallberg’s Victorian home is estimated at 300 to 350 years old. On a recent morning, baby owls were spotted high above the canopy.

Squirrels, foxes, deer, quail and numerous other birds are among the wildlife at the rural property hidden off Highway 116 where the towns of Sebastopol and Graton blur together. The real attraction is the butterflies - but don’t expect a constant fluttering.

Longtime docent and gardens staffer Gay Bishop Brorstrom, 72, estimates there may be?30 sightings on a given day - enough to delight those with patience and appreciation. Some 50 species of butterflies have been identified at the gardens.

“It depends on the day, and the seasons, too,” she said. There’s been a decline in butterflies, likely due to the increased use of herbicides, loss of habitats and climate changes.

“That’s why this is even more important,” Brorstrom said. “It’s become an oasis in a sea of vineyards.”

Visitors with a slow pace and keen eye will find many rewards in the gardens, from butterflies drawing nectar to chubby caterpillars munching on leaves.

“You have to key in on things,” Brorstrom said.

She points out a minuscule orange egg resting on a delicate, feathery fennel plant - and then another, and another. Nearby is a black larva with touches of orange, the size of a grain of rice, likely just hatched, she said.

Through its metamorphosis, a large yellow and black butterfly - an anise swallowtail - will emerge.

Brorstrom remembers visiting the gardens in 1988 as a chaperone for a field trip when her daughter Leah Brorstrom was in grade school. Hallberg was the kind and knowledgeable tour guide.

“She pointed out all the tiny eggs. When I came on tour here I didn’t even know butterflies laid eggs,” Brorstrom said.

Today she works part time at the gardens, helping in numerous capacities, and serves on the board of directors. Her daughter also works there, coordinating tours and volunteers.

Brorstrom was so inspired by their field trip experience - and by her work as a docent - that she wrote a children’s book, “A Class Trip to Miss Hallberg’s Butterfly Garden.”

A nonprofit organization since 1997, the gardens have?10 docents, and about 60 volunteers helping with today’s Open Gardens Celebration.

Visitors will discover much about butterflies, as well as the garden’s history. Hallberg’s mother, Della Hallberg, unwittingly started what today is considered possibly the oldest butterfly garden in the country.

An avid gardener, she planted a California native vine called Dutchman’s Pipe that quickly spread.

Louise Hallberg was a child when the family noticed black and teal pipevine swallowtails fluttering about; the plant providing an abundance of larval plant food.

Hallberg, a UC Berkeley alumna and longtime Santa Rosa Junior College registrar, never lost the curiosity about butterflies she developed as a child.

“When she started the gardens, nobody really knew about host plants (where butterflies lay eggs and that provide food for the larvae),” Brorstrom said. “Over the years, she learned a lot about host plants that bring in different varieties.”

Hallberg reached out to Strybing Arboretum in San Francisco in 1990, gaining knowledge and encouragement to continue her efforts.

Today the sanctuary provides a healthy habitat for butterflies, birds, bees and other wildlife. Overgrown vines and thickets, pathways and meadows are rich with buddleia butterfly bushes, milkweeds, zinnias, California wild lilac, pincushion plants, stinging nettle and numerous others - all providing food and shelter for the butterflies so beloved to Hallberg.

Those working to maintain Hallberg’s legacy are hopeful visitors will leave inspired by nature and with an interest in butterflies and their habitats, plus a greater appreciation for conservation.

“People come from all over the world, and from all different kinds of interests,” Brorstrom said. More than 36,000 guests have visited so far; last year,?182 groups toured the gardens.

“The children get very excited about the caterpillars and think they’re kind of creepy. They love spotting the butterflies,” Brorstrom said.

Right now, as the board, staff, supporters and volunteers adjust to Hallberg’s passing, there is a period of transition at the gardens. A small endowment from Hallberg, along with fundraising, are dedicated to sustaining the preserve and its education efforts.

“It’s a complicated time, but exciting,” Brorstrom said. “And sad as well.”

She’s hopeful the Hallberg home at the gardens can be transformed into a museum one day. Hallberg kept detailed records and “saved everything,” Brorstrom said, including countless items decorated with butterflies.

“Louise had gifts from everybody,” she said. “Everybody loved Louise.”