DBG: And Now the Rest of the Story...

Freezing rain is falling as I write, covering the streets and sidewalks with a dangerous coating of ice. Snow is in the forecast the next few days, and then an "Arctic blast" is predicted to come in by the middle of the week, with temperatures plummeting into the subzero range. All this makes me long to get on a plane and head south to any place warm and sunny. But I can't, so a mini virtual vacation will have to do.



A week ago I wrote about the Chihuly art exhibit at the Desert Botanical Gardens which I visited in Phoenix in December. If you missed it, you can scroll down two posts and see this marvelous display "The Nature of Glass." Today I wanted to finish the tour by showing you a few of the varied plant specimens to be found every day at the Gardens. Click on any picture to enlarge it, and definitely enlarge any photos on the earlier post about Chihuly. I found that these photos on Blogger don't do justice to the art; enlarging them really brings out a clearer idea of their beauty.

"Float Boat"

When I made my first visit to DBG last January, I opted to take a guided tour of the garden. If you visit, I would highly recommend taking the tour first. I was told it would last 30 minutes, but mine lasted an hour and was worth every minute. Our guide was very knowledgeable about all the plant life in the garden despite being a transplanted Chicagoan and gave us so many fascinating little tidbits about each plant and about the whole ecosystem of the Sonoran Desert. This time I decided to go it alone to give myself enough time to see everything at the Garden.


I didn't need a guide or even the identifying sign to recognize this agave plant. I remembered some of the information from the guide on my previous visit, too, such as the fact that this plant can live for over a hundred years and that it blooms once--right before it dies. But I didn't know until I went to purchase one in the gift shop that there are over a hundred varieties of agaves.
This familiar-looking one is agave mapisaga.

My smugness at being a quasi-expert in Sonoran flora wore off very quickly, when I saw plants like this that I didn't remember seeing before. This tall cactus stood near the entrance to the Garden in one of the first displays of Chihuly art. When I began to organize my photos at home, I realized I hadn't even bothered to get the name of this plant. Its lower trunk looks very similar to the saguaro growing near it, but the top is unique. I have no idea what kind of cactus it is; looking at it from this angle, it reminds me of a sculpture of a Greek mythological monster.

Another type of cactus I didn't remember is this Teddy Bear Cholla Opuntia Bigelovii. It's a fairly common type of cactus seen in the area; this one does look look rather cute and cuddly like a teddy bear, doesn't it?

But on closer inspection, I don't think you'd better cuddle with it:) Those needles are pretty long!

Here's one you definitely wouldn't be tempted to cuddle--a Toothpick Cactus. If you enlarge this photo, you'll see the intimidating size of its needles.

This was a name I recognized--Euphorbia--but this Euphorbia Canariensus was nothing like any euphorbia I've ever seen! All the euphorbia I am familiar with, like my Euphorbia "Diamond Frost," have blooms and look nothing like a cactus. This succulent--I think--comes from the Canary Islands.

And this smaller variety, which looks like an aloe, is from Madagascar, Euphorbia kamponii.

Having posted a few times about the saguaro cactus, I thought taking this pop quiz posted near a planting would be a cinch. Wrong again! I failed miserably. I don't remember the answers to all of these now, but I did get one right--saguaros grow only in the Sonoran Desert, which is primarily located in Arizona. I missed the one about the deep roots: saguaro roots are not deep, but are wide, usually as wide as they are tall. I do remember the guide telling us on my previous visit that when developers must move a saguaro--as required by state law--it is a major undertaking.

I also misidentified this cactus--at first glance it looks like a saguaro with the same ribbed arms, complete with woodpecker holes. But this is actually a Cardon pachycereus pringlei. The most obvious difference between the two is that while a saguaro grows straight up, with arms developing after many years, the cardon grows a few feet, then branches out into many arms. My vague memory of high school Latin leads me to think the name comes from its resemblance to an elephant's tough hide.

Another specimen I don't think I saw on my first trip was this saguaro growing up through a palo verde tree. The palo verde with its green trunk and branches was a tree that I marvelled at on my first visit to Arizona. A nearby sign explained that a saguaro sometimes grows up through the tree's branches, which shelter it in its early years. When the saguaro reaches a certain size, the palo verde dies. That's not as sad as it sounds, because judging by the size and the arms of this saguaro it may be nearing 100 years old, so the tree has lived a long life. Another example of the marvels of nature.

There were some other sights I hadn't seen before as well as a few surprises. This large prickly pear, Opuntia martiniana, is a common sight in desert landscapes.

But I was surprised by another variety with blooms that look like berries. (This one's worth taking the time to enlarge.)

Most cacti don't bloom until March in Arizona. But this barrel cactus--I think--is also getting a head start.

The last time I visited the DBG, I was somewhat on a time constraint and didn't get to see all parts of the Garden. This time I was determined to visit every nook and cranny, including the Sonoran Desert Trail. This half-mile loop contains native plants of the Sonoran Desert with many display signs containing a wealth of information about this unique landscape.

The organ pipe cactus was a common sight on the trail. Notice the luminaries lining the path in this photo and the one above. For the holidays, the DBG held a special luminaria exhibit at night. I went in the morning, but I can only imagine how beautiful this scenery--and the Chihuly exhibit in particular--would have looked illuminated after dark.

The Desert Trail is on a slope and provides an excellent vantage for viewing the natural landscape beyond the gardens. The iconic saguaros are everywhere.

The DBG is located southeast of Phoenix, next to Papago Park and the Phoenix Zoo, and is quite easy to get to. It's within easy driving distance of Scottsdale and Tempe, in particular. The Sky Harbor Airport is not far either; if you look closely or enlarge this photo, you'll see a plane taking off above the cactus.

The Gardens aren't just about cacti, however. There is an herb garden where I found this huge basil plant flowering in December.

Another area I missed on my first visit was the Wildflower Garden. Unfortunately, December is probably not the best month to view wildflowers here, as few were blooming at this time. This is where I took the photo of the gaillardia, however, that I pictured on my earlier post about xeriscaping.

This yellow wildflower didn't seem to mind sharing space with a prickly pear cactus.

Just beyond the herb garden there were several areas planted in annuals and flowering perennials. I looked all over the place but could not find a sign to identify these striking red seed pods.

My favorite part of this section of the Gardens had to be the Wildlife Garden, where for a moment I could imagine it was summertime once again. Bees, butterflies, and birds were in abundance here.

Hummingbirds hovered happily over the blossoms. Don't bother to enlarge this photo--it will still be a blurry hummingbird:) They were as elusive for this photographer in Arizona as they were last summer in Illinois.

The bees were much easier to capture. They were especially drawn to the unusual red blooms of this Baja Fairy Duster.

The butterflies were drawn to more familiar plants. I wonder if any of you butterfly experts out there can tell if these are monarchs. They looked a darker brown than the Monarchs I'm used to. Perhaps they've just gotten a tan in the Arizona sun:)

Last fall I tried countless times to get one decent Monarch photo. Apparently, I had to travel 1700 miles to get one! Notice what plant it's feeding on--a milkweed, of course.

I spent several enjoyable hours touring the Botanical Gardens and admiring the Chihuly glass exhibit as well as all the different area of gardens. There was one area, though, that I was unable to visit.

Daughter really wants her Dad to come out for a visit and is trying to persuade the two of us to come in March to see some Cubs' spring training games. It won't take much convincing for me--as you can see, I wouldn't mind visiting the Desert Botanical Gardens once again.