Share Tweet Share Have you seen monarch butterflies flying around your yard or favorite pollinator habitat? They are back for the winter season and in great numbers this year! Central and southern Arizona has monarchs roughly from October through March — it is too hot in the summer for them. What are they doing here? Don’t monarchs migrate to Mexico? Most monarchs migrate to Mexico, and some to California. We also have a small overwintering population in the state as well. Why? We don’t know. It may have to do with our native milkweeds retaining their leaves in the winter or it may be o ..read more

Share Tweet Share Mexican Ponche is a warm fruit punch served during the holidays. This sweet and comforting beverage is made with apples, pears, oranges, guavas, as well as the sweet blend of hibiscus, tejocotes, and piloncillo—a perfect complement to the winter season and the delectable dishes enjoyed during Posadas and family gatherings. Although Ponche has gained great popularity in Mexico, experts point out that this celebrated hot beverage is a mixture of European and Indigenous gastronomies, and its origin traces back to India. The composition of Ponche may vary by region, but the e ..read more

Share Tweet Share As the holiday season draws closer, keep your eyes peeled for a super special cactus that steals the show this time of year: the Holiday cactus. The colorful cactus you spot in stores are hybrids of the Schlumbergera species, flaunting an assortment of blossoming hues. Holiday cactus is a common name to refer to both Thanksgiving and Christmas cactus, as each plant has distinct stem segments. Looking after your Holiday cactus can be easy, but knowing a few of its secrets is key to unlocking its full potential. With some insider knowledge, your plant can flourish and bloom ..read more

Share Tweet Share Get ready to sleigh the holiday season with some botanic brilliance! Poinsettias, paper whites, amaryllis and even houseplants are a few of the festive plants that’ll add a pop of color to your home. Our top-secret intel on the best holiday plants will have you brimming with ideas as you get ready to deck those halls. Poinsettias are the unrivaled champion of festive flair and creativity. Feast your eyes on the vibrant bracts, ranging in color from salmon to pink and even snowy white. Liven up wreaths or garlands by tucking in fresh flowers. Grab those pruners and cut th ..read more

Share Tweet Share The Central Arizona Cactus and Succulent Society is celebrating its 50th anniversary on November. Many of its founding members were Desert Botanical Garden volunteers. Bob Moulis and Henry Triesler organized the first get together of those interested in forming the society in April 1973. By May, the group decided on the organization’s name, became a 501(3)c nonprofit organization and an affiliate of the Cactus and Succulent Society of America. In the first year, the monthly newsletter was established: The Central Spine. Monthly meetings are presented by field experts. The ..read more

Share Tweet Share Razor sharp spines. Plants that cut themselves to creep along the ground. Cactus with mutations! At Desert Botanical Garden, guests will encounter several ‘creepy’ cactus species throughout the trails. Learn more about some of the Garden’s cactus species with spooky plant features, and find them out on the trails on your next visit. Don’t miss out on the boo-tanical thrills of Strange Garden on Oct 27-28 with mad botanists, free pumpkins, a demonstration from Dr. T-Rex and the Phoenix Herpetological Society. The event is included with general admission. Tickets at dbg.org ..read more

Share Tweet Share In the paper, “Pre-contact Agave Domesticates—Living Legacy Plants in Arizona’s Landscape” published in the Annals of Botany, Garden researchers Wendy Hodgson, Andrew Salywon and volunteer Jane Rosenthal describe six rare domesticated agave species whose clones remarkably can still be found living in ancient agricultural fields in Arizona that have not been tended for hundreds of years. These findings present a rare opportunity to study domesticated plants virtually unchanged since they were last cultivated prehistorically by Native American groups in the S ..read more

Share Tweet Share Razor sharp spines. Plants that cut themselves to creep along the ground. Cactus with mutations! At Desert Botanical Garden, guests will encounter several ‘creepy’ cactus species throughout the trails. Learn more about some of the Garden’s cactus species with spooky plant features, and find them out on the trails on your next visit. Don’t miss out on the boo-tanical thrills of Strange Garden on Oct 27-28 with mad botanists, free pumpkins, a demonstration from Dr. T-Rex and the Phoenix Herpetological Society. The event is included with general admission. Tickets at dbg.org ..read more

Share Tweet Share In the paper, “Pre-contact Agave Domesticates—Living Legacy Plants in Arizona’s Landscape” published in the Annals of Botany, Garden researchers Wendy Hodgson, Andrew Salywon and volunteer Jane Rosenthal describe six rare domesticated agave species whose clones remarkably can still be found living in abandoned ancient fields in Arizona. These findings present a rare opportunity to study domesticated plants virtually unchanged since they were last cultivated prehistorically by Native American groups in the Southwest— including the Hohokam people, a large Southwestern Nativ ..read more

Share Tweet Share The National Science Foundation funded Global Water Potential Network, PSInet was recently launched by lab member Dr. Jessica Guo and colleague Dr. Kimberly Novick (University of Indiana). To learn more, check out the PSInet website: https://psinetrcn.github.io/. The post Launch of Global Water Potential Network by Lab Member Dr. Jessica Guo and Colleagues appeared first on Desert Botanical Garden ..read more