Tucson Botanical Garden

I went to a favorite place in Tucson this morning, the Botanical Gardens.  Five acres, in town, on Alvernon between Grant and Pima. 

I got there early to avoid both the heat and the crowds.  If you are in Tucson, especially in the spring, when so many plants are in bloom, be sure to go.

Here are some photos.  The desert isn't just brown.  You may have assumed that I would label each photo with their scientific and common names.  Too much work.  It was Sunday and I was just enjoying the beauty.  Use google.  Or, go to the Botanical Gardens - they have signs to identify each plant.

Clearly this guy isn't a plant.  He and his buddies were everywhere in the gardens.

It took seven years for this corpse flower to bloom.  I missed it by a week.  On the left of the plant is the bloom that has fallen over.  Luckily, I also missed the stench.

Lots of orchids and butterflies in the Butterfly House.

Just as I took this photo the two butterflies enjoying a snack took off.  Still pretty.

Love this Mexican Lipstick plant.  Sadly, past it's peak of blooming but still pretty.

The fruit of the barrel cactus.  Edible and the cactus is a good source of water if you are stranded in the desert.  

This cactus and the ones in the photo above were all over where I played as a kid.  Not a surprise that my mom spent a lot of time pulling thorns out of me.

Love that this cactus looks fuzzy.

Another type of barrel cactus.

Flowers on a saguaro - the cactus that epitomizes southern Arizona and northern Sonora.

Standing so straight! 

Spring in the desert is more subtle than in the mid-west but just as spectacular.

Yes, roses grow in the desert.  They just need a little help from a loving gardener.