Desert Botanical Garden

 in Phoenix

Baja Fairy Duster

If you're ever in Phoenix, especially in April, make a point of visiting the Desert Botanical Garden.  You can thank me later.  On the day we went, the temps were mid 70s.  We enjoyed a leisurely walk through a large portion of the 140 acre garden.  It seemed like most everything was in bloom.  I'll give you a small glimpse of what we saw with some pictures.  It was truly spectacular.

Birds nesting in cacti.  Lots of mourning doves.

This is the Boojum tree.  It is said the tree got its name from a mythical character in the Lewis Carroll nonsense poem, The Hunting of the Snark.  I read a different version of how the tree was named online.  In the story, Alice in Wonderland, also by Lewis Carroll, Alice runs into a forest of strange trees that looked like they were upside down.  Alice was so startled she yelled out, "A BOOJUM!!"  And the name stuck.

This is a glass sculpture of cacti at the entrance to the gardens.

The sculpture is by artist Dale Chihuly

There are even heart-shaped cactus.

These are Saguaro cactus.  There are only three places on planet earth where these giant cacti grow and one of them happens to be in the Sonoran Desert, which encompasses all of Phoenix.  The cactus does not grow its first arm until it is around 100 years old.  The bloom of this cactus, the Saguaro Cactus Blossom, is the state flower of Arizona.  

The picture below is of another Saguaro.  I thought the top was interesting.  

Apparently I found the root of this random tree photo-worthy.  The adjoining pic has consort pictured in the foreground.  Kind of gives you an idea how large some of the cactus are.  That particular cactus is an Organ Pipe cactus.

You probably already figured out this is a picture

of a bee bathing in pollen on a sunny afternoon.

If seeds waited for perfect conditions to grow, there would be no plants in the desert.

                                                                                                  ~ Matshona Dhliwayo