Mourning Cloak Ranch & Botanical Gardens

Mourning Cloak Ranch and Botanical Gardens is located on the historic site of Williamsburg; a town predating Tehachapi. Its tree-shaded gardens roll gently over more than 20 acres of beautiful, blooming hills. The ranch was founded by Marian and Edward Sampson and is named for the Mourning Cloak, a remarkably attrative and hardy butterfly native to the area. Three decades of careful planting of over 2,200 different species from all over the world have transformed this naturally lovely California landscape into an international botanical wonderland.  Plants are identified by neat, unobtrusive markers that are easily read from the meandering paths that curve through the sun and shadow of the garden's landscape.  The gardens were established, not only for the love of plants, but, to encourage education and excellence in horticulture. Mourning Cloak Ranch hosts seminars, lectures and guided tours in order to stimulate interest and appreciation for the world's natural botanical beauty.