60 minutes from downtown Phoenix in the Sonoran Desert is the Desert Botanical Garden. Here is a display of several thousand plants native to the local desert. Located on 145 acres are over fifty thousand plants.There is plenty of parking and easy access to the entrance.
A must have before beginning your discovery of the Garden is a map. Inside the visitors guide is a color coded trail map. Each trail is described and the distance given. This is great if your time is valuable. Another great feature is the location of the restrooms. Chances are you will have to go as soon as you get there! I know we did. I had forgotten my hat and the desert sun is less than good for me, so I immediately visited the gift shop. It was well stocked not only with souvenir merchandise but a good selection of headgear as well. I was able to purchase a hat without feeling I was a victim of larceny.
Since family members with us had visited before they were able to guide us in the best use of our time. After all, the Garden does cover a lot of ground. The trails are well maintained with barriers to keep onlookers at their distance, but most of the plants are cacti and have their own means of protection...spines. Each plant has a small sign giving common and scientific name plus other information. However, sometimes it is difficult to determine which plant is being identified. The shapes of the cactus plants are quite varied. The most commonly recognized is the saguaro. I've seen many in western movies. They're tall with seemingly outstretched arms. The short and rather stubby barrel cactus is also easily recognized. Some appear to have fat leaves like the prickly pear, and some whose name I do not know look like a fat vine with spines, while some are tree like.
Cacti have the unique ability to survive in a land that has only ten inches or less of rain a year. Although all cacti are succulents not all succulents are cacti. Cacti roots are close to
the top of the ground in order to absorb the water from the rain. The plant is almost a complete water storage container. The ribs of the plants such as the barrel cactus and saguaro allow the plant to expand to hold more water. At full capacity a cactus may be 90% water. Most cacti have spines. Although we normally think of these as mainly for protection they actually perform a duty in water conservation. Most cacti have no leaves; what we see is a stem. Some of the most beautiful flowers in the desert are cactus flowers.
One of the visual delights of the Desert Botanical Garden is the Marshall Butterfly
Pavillion. As nature's animated eye candy, they navigate the desert air. They move on gossamer wings from plant to plant, although their flying is erratic. There is even a butterfly feeding station. I am curious if the color of the feeder attracts them, or are they attracted by some other means?
Wildlife is rare in the garden as one would expect with so many humans around. But, If you look carefully, you can see animals and birds. I spied a lizard, and Pat got some great hummingbird photos with his new DSLR camera. I,on the other hand, was using my cell phone camera and missed a great shot of a roadrunner. Perhaps, Wiley Coyote was chasing him.
Special exhibits are noted in the visitors guide. The Garden is currently hosting a Dale Chihuly exhibition. Chihuly is a famous American glass sculptor. The colors of his glass sculptures vary from brilliant green to fiery orange. The plants have a more somber palette of color; pale greens, grays and pale purples. Chihuly's unnatural color is juxtaposed with this natural color. Does the glass sculpture enhance the beauty of the desert? I think not.
The Desert Botanical Garden is interesting and informative whether the visitor is a serious botanist or a casual nature lover. There is something for everyone in the desert near Phoenix. The Desert Botanical Garden.
