Mike in the Wild

When I moved to Arizona from Philadelphia, I was immediately struck by the sharp contrast in climate and landscape between the two locales.  I quickly became a fan of Tucson's Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, a showcase for the flora, fauna and geology of my new home.  Almost 30 years later, I'm still a regular visitor and still learning about the unique environment of the Sonoran Desert. One interesting and possibly misleading detail about the ASDM - as many shorten the name - is that it's called a museum.   Most of us think of that word in the context of static displays of art, artifacts and taxidermied animals.  However it's success relies on the visitor's interaction with mostly living outdoor subjects as it merges the features of zoos, botanical gardens, natural history museums and art galleries.   Not only is it a one-of-a kind experience, it's also situated in a beautifully mountainous and verdant area of Tucson, in the heart of the saguaro-filled desert i...

Botanical gardens abound in the desert, almost in defiance of the preconception that life doesn't thrive in arid climates.  Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park, Arizona's oldest and largest, takes the idea to another level.  It makes a point to feature not just native Sonoran Desert flora, but plants from all the dry landscapes of North and South America, southern Africa and Australia.   Spread over close to 400 acres, the park's paths meander through endless collections of cacti, agaves, trees, bushes and flowers.  The preserve owes its existence to mining magnate Colonel William Boyce Thompson, who donated his winter house and its surrounding garden to the arboretum in 1928. Nestled along Queen Queek, below scenic Picket Post Mountain, the park is an easy one hour drive east from central Phoenix into Tonto National Forest.  It features various biomes, including a eucalyptus forest, an expanse of the Chihuahuan Desert, a grove of fruit trees and a man-made ...