Most Special Events Included With
Admission $9, or $4.50 ages 5 to 12
Plants of the Bible Walk May 19 at 8am
** summer tours at 8:00 a.m. May 19, June 16, July 21, August 18
Mesa resident and Bible scholar Dave Oberpriller leads a relaxing and slow-paced Saturday walk down smooth, flat and wheelchair-accessible trails to see pomegranates, figs, pines, palms and other plants referenced in scripture. Summer hours during May, June July and August are 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and this tour moves to a morning start time of 8:00 a.m. May 19, June 16, July 21 and August 18.
Palms, figs and pomegranates are
Plants of the Bible
Painting With Light -- Nighttime Photo Shoot With John Aho May 19
May 19, Saturday, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM
Check out photos and links on our BTA photo classes page.
Few visitors get a chance to see the Drover's Shed, the old Dodge Power Wagon or our gardens lit quite as they will appear after dark on May 19, familiar plants and scenery rendered a candy-colored rainbow of colors after sunset by custom-made, high-power LED light boxes strategically placed and arranged by Phoenix artist and luminary John Aho. His painting-with-light nighttime shoot Saturday, May 19, is limited to ten photographers, and the $30 fee for these special access evenings is a fundraiser for the Arboretum ( $39 for nonmembers). Have a credit card ready and call 520-689-2723 to reserve your spot; please make sure to spell out your email and give your current cell# or home phone to our clerks when you sign up so we can provide specific meeting/parking instructions just ahead of Saturday's shoot. View our Nocturnal Painting With Light Photo Workshopson YouTube. If this class has filled when you call, make sure to leave your name, phone and email (again, please take a minute to spell it out so we have it right) so we can alert you to June, July or August shoots as dates are added to this calendar.
See more of John's surreal nighttime scenes -- such as Superior Architecture, and these scenes from Besich Park Downtown
May 20 - Focus On Flowers Photo Class with Pete Rendek
$39, or $30 for BTA annual members. Call 520-689-2723 to enroll and prepay
Sunday May 20 from 9 a.m. to noon
Get a new camera for Mother's Day, or just want to learn how to shoot flower pictures? Saguaros and cactus blossoms are at peak in May, and Pete Rendek leads a morning focusing on flowers. Participants will learn to create better images using anything from simple accessories to more sophisticated macro lenses and ring-lights. Workshop begins with a presentation in the air-conditioned lecture room, then moves outdoors to practice techniques in nearby gardens.
See more Pete Rendek Arboretum Photography
Tree Tour Sunday May 20, at 8:00 a.m.
third Sunday each month -- tours move to 8:00 a.m. May 20, June 17, July 15
So, just what is an Arboretum?" Tom McDonald , owner of the Smiling Dog Landscapes Company in Gold Canyon, guides this Third Sunday Of The Month walk where visitors learn the answer to that often-posed question during a relaxed and leisurely guided tour through the forested areas of the Arboretum. Join Tom for a chance to learn about the Arboretum's collection of oak and olive trees, native hackberry, mesquite and many more. Arboretum staff member and Certified Arborist Jeff Payne leads the walk Jun 17 at 8:30 am. Daily hours at the Arboretum are on the summer schedule --- open daily at 6:00 a.m. and closing at 3:00 p.m.
Butterfly Walk Saturday May 26 With Ron Rutowski
8:30 a.m. also on June 23, July 28, August 25, September 22, October 27
ASU Professor Ron Rutowski guides our Butterfly Walk May 26 - and please note that the start time for this is earlier for Spring/Summer of 2012, we'll begin the once-a-month Butterfly Walks at 8:30 a.m. continuing June 23 with Dave Powell, July 28 with Marceline Vandewater, August 25 with Ron Rutowski, September 22 and also October 27 with Adriane Grimaldi.
The Arboretum Rocks! -- geology walking tour -- May 26
summer tours move to 8:00 a.m. June 23, July 28 and August 25
Once-a-month geology walks are a chance to see rocks and volcanic formations along our main trail on a guided tour that compresses almost two billion years of geologic history into just over one educational hour! Learn about Pinal schist, the volcanic origins of Picket Post Mountain and the Apache Leap tuff. geologists Kristen Gholson and Alan Seymour are the featured tour guides on May 26 -- the first of our summer geology walks with an 8:00 am start time.
Edible and Medicinal Desert Plants Guided Walk May 27 at 8 a.m.
spring and summer tours move to 8:00 a.m. May 27 with Mike Hills and then June 24 with Dave Morris
on May 27 our special guest tour guide will be Mike Hills of the Arizona Herb Association, sharing information about ways native plants have fed, healed and clothed Sonoran desert peoples for more than one thousand years. During Summer months this starts at 8am and The tour repeats June 24 with Ethno-botanist and Choctaw nation tribal member David Morris, and then July 22 and again August 26 the guide will be Apache Junction author Jean Groen.Watch a Desert Plants Interview with Jean Groen
** Please note: this tour explores the Curandero Trail, which has steep sections that are not suitable for visitors who use wheelchairs or walkers.
Read more about jojoba, creosote and prickly pears
Dragonfly Walk June 2 - Saturday
at 8:30 a.m. (repeats July 7, August 4, September 1 and October 6 )
Roger Racut and his family guide our second dragonfly walk -- of the season, seeking Flame Skimmers and Blue Dashers at Ayer Lake and at water features around the gardens. Learn more about the legends, lore and biology of dragonflies from BTA annual member and retired physics professor Jim Walks; they're fascinating creatures, with a rich heritage of folklore and fables that vary greatly from culture to culture. European cultures tend to see dragonflies as dangerous or even deadly; Asian and Native American cultures see them as signs of good luck and longevity. The truth about dragonflies is far more interesting than any fable: they have six legs, but can't walk; they have incredible vision, but are deaf; they outlasted the dinosaurs and are still going strong today. Read more and check out Jim's slow-motion videos of dragonflies bathing and 'spin-drying.' at
http://thedragonflywhisperer.blogspot.com
See and photograph these colorful winged predators this summer on walks guided by AZ State Parks volunteers including Roger Racut, ASU Professor Pierre Deviche and others.
See dragonfly photos and read more
Gourd Art Class June 3
9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m, enrollment is $39, have a credit card ready and call 520-689-2723 to enroll and pre-pay
Sign up soon if this class sounds like fun -- these classes often fill quickly, and have a waiting list. These popular four-hour workshops are a chance to burn, paint, etch and emboss decorative gourds with coaching from Mesa artists Gerald and Vicki Johnson. Pre-registration is required, and this class is limited to 15 students from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Enrollment is $39 (or $30 to Arboretum annual members) includes a gourd and full morning of coaching and artistic inspiration. Tools, paints and paintbrushes are provided during the workshop as well.
Fine Art Photographer Michael Madsen's Switching To Manual Photo Classes
June 9 Saturday, at 9:00 am
Our guest artist in the Visitor Center Gallery last February was Michael Madsen, a Gilbert artists who has traveled to Thailand, Mexico, Morocco, Jamaica and the Bahamas in search of the perfect picture. June 9 Michael will coach beginner-to-intermediate photographers who are ready to harness the horsepower of their digital cameras by choosing to ignore the 'auto' settings in favor of controlling their own aperture, shutter speeds, ISO and white balance. Two hours in the classroom from 10:00 a.m. til Noon will be followed by a lunch break at one of Superior's local restaurants, and then two more hours from 1:00-3:00 PM spent in the gardens where we will "switch your camera to manual mode and take charge of our cameras and explore the creative side of photography, "said Madsen." You will be taught how to adjust your camera settings, and the photographic effects that occur based on these settings. After classroom instruction we will head outdoors into the Arboretum to apply techniques students have learned, and experiment with camera settings together, and one-on-one." Read more about Arboretum Photo Workshops [photoclass.html] and see more of the artist's work at heartsrock.org ($30 / $39)
Learn Your Lizards - Guided Walk June 9 at 8 a.m.
Summer tours at 8:00 a.m June 9 and again July 14
Casa Grande reptile enthusiast Wild Man Phil Rakociis our special guest tour guide June 9 on this walk where he invites kids and adults who enjoy Arizona's most common, colorful and charismatic little reptiles to Learn Your Lizards on a Saturday guided walking tour that starts at 8:00 a.m. There is no pre-registration required, just be in our visitor center lobby by tour start time. The tour is included with daily admission of $9 for adults or $4.50 for ages 5-12. Preview the outing-- view this brief YouTube Lizard Walk video clip posted by Arboretum volunteer and videographer Mike Rolfe. This short film showcases our special guest tour guide and shows you some of the scenes and gardens explored on this walk.
See photos and read more about Lizard Walks at the Arboretum.
Bird Walk June 10 at 6:30 a.m.
Summer hours are daily from 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. from June-through-August . Kathe Anderson leads summertime 6:30 am bird walks June 10 and also July 8. What birds have been reported lately? Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Lazuli Bunting, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Great Blue Heron and Summer Tanager -- read our most
Recent bird checklist
Earth Journal Writing Workshop with Kathleen O'Dwyer June 22 at 7:30 a.m.
Friday morning June 22 from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. $20 BTA annual members, $29 non-members. Call 520-689-2723 to enroll.
What does it take to be a better writer? Gold Canyon author and Reiki master Kathleen O'Dwyer says one hint is contained within this quote by Walt Whitman: "Now I see the secret of the making of the best persons. It is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth." On June 22nd O'Dwyer will expand on this philosophy and lead a group of eight enrollees through exercises designed to hone, focus and add depth to their writing. A writer who finds inspiration from the Sonoran Desert, O'Dwyer has lived in Aravaipa Canyon and draws on her onnection to the sights and sounds of the Sonoran desert in her work. Her coaching session here at BTA will include two hours outdoors for inspiration - then back indoors in cool, air-conditioned comfort of the lecture room of the historic Smith Building for additional coaching, sharing, reading aloud and discussion. "We'll start early while our minds are fresh and the gardens are at their most stimulating with birdcalls and night-blooming flowers still open during those brief and cooler morning hours. We'll participate with two exercises together as a group, designed to provoke connection to nature and creativity. I'll give the group a few prompts, then set them loose to find a place to connect with the Earth and write undisturbed. Then at 9:30 a.m. we'll gather again indoors, sharing what we've written and recall our experience." Participants need to bring a pen and notebook (or laptop or tablet if you're an E-writer); sun protection and walking shoes. Cost to enroll is $20 for BTA annual members, $29 for nonmembers. O'Dwyer recently published "Breathing Blue: Giving my life to Spirit and Spirit to my life." After spending two decades writing for corporations, O'Dwyer traded Chicago for the Grand Canyon State and moved to Arizona, accepting a new challenge: managing a ranch in Aravaipa Canyon. Now O'Dwyer lives in Gold Canyon and leads a writing group.Inspired by the Superstition Mountains she is also hard at work on her second book. "Breathing Blue" is available online for $17 as a print edition, or $4 as a Kindle e-reader.
http://www.amazon.com/Kathleen-ODwyer/e/B0073R595E
Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit Classes
July 28 at 10:30 a.m.; also August 18 and September 3
Apache Junction author Jean Groen teaches participants to harvest these juicy, seasonal fruits of the Sonoran Desert in a class that repeats four times this summer at Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park. And mark your calendars for the town of Superior’s debut Prickly Pear culinary festival Aug. 25. Ripe cactus fruits red as rubies and garnets are at their peak in August - and the historic copper-mining town of Superior celebrates this year with a debut culinary festival showcasing cactus-based menu items at local restaurants, a class teaching participants how to pick, de-spine and prepare the forbidding fruits - and plenty of opportunities for sampling. There's even a "prickly pear IPA" class for home-brewers! Watch for complete event details at superiorazchamber.net .
Tom Boggan Camera Basics Photo Class - Date TO BE ANNOUNCED
520-689-2723 TO BE ON THE WAITING / ALERT LIST
Do you have a fancy new digital SLR, or even a digital point-and-shoot camera that you're eager to learn to use more effectively? Once-a-month photo workshops with Gilbert artist Tom Boggan offer that chance all four seasons of the year at BTA. Tom's once-a-month outdoor shoots help improve your camera skills on a relaxed morning outing surrounded by beautiful gardens and alongside a pro -- and with plenty of chances to ask questions about the dials, settings and controls on your own camera. Pro photographer Tom Boggan has a talent for portraits and a passion for nature photography, and he generously volunteers by dedicating a morning each month to be here helping our visitors improve their camera skills. Workshops with Tom are limited to eight students. Pre-payment of $29 is required ($20 for BTA annual members). Enroll by phone, have your credit card ready and call our staff at 520-689-2723. Check out this gallery of images from Tom Boggan Photo Classes at Boyce Thompson Arboretum. Join us for a chance to improve your basic photography skills, including composition, lighting and exposure -- and for one-on-one time with Tom helping students understand the different between aperture, exposure and light balance. View other workshop images on the Tom Boggan Arboretum Flickr Gallery
Dog Socialization Walk -- DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED
Dogs are always welcome at the Arboretum, provided they're on good behavior and a short leash -- and also are accompanied by owners who pick up after their furry friends. Arboretum volunteer Sandra and her canine compadre Chaco guide a dog socialization walk April 22 at 10:30 a.m. Pre-registration is not required, just be in the overflow parking lot with your leashed dog at 10:30 am start time.
Arboretum History Walks October - through - March
tours resume in October
You may have walked our trails a dozen times and never crossed paths with the Galapagos Tortoise pens. Take a moment to scan the horizon above Picket Post Mountain, can you imagine cavalry soldiers operating a heliograph in the late 1800s? Learn about the life and times of Colonel William Boyce Thompson and his Arboretum on a walking tour guided by Phoenix historian Sylvia Lee. Walks typically last about 90-minutes, departing at 10am from the Visitor Center breezeway. Correspond with Sylvia, or read more about
http://ag.arizona.edu/bta/history.html
Plein Air Painters (Date To Be Announced)
painters gathering - included with $9 adult admission, ($4.50 for ages 5-12)
painters are invited to capture garden scenes 'en plein air' during an informal painting event coordinated by Tempe professional artist Cindy Carrillo. Daily admission is $9 for adults and $4.50 for ages 5-12 and there's no additional charge to participate with the plein air painting workshop, said Carrillo, who has painted garden scenes here over the past two decades."A few of my favorite spots are the Demonstration Garden, the trees which tower over Silver King Wash, and the views of volcanic cliffs above Queen Creek and Ayer Lake," said Carrillo. "The Arboretum has a plein air event each Thanksgiving when autumn colors are vivid, now here's a chance to capture summertime scenes, to meet other Arizona plein air painters, and to enjoy a morning together in the gardens." BTA opens at 8:00 am during October, Carillo advises artists to request picnic area parking (allowing you to unload your easel and supplies conveniently close to the Demonstration Garden) and to meet in the picnic area. Amateurs and beginners are encouraged to attend, too!
For more info email Cindy via contact@cindycarrillo.com ; painters who don't use the internet may call 520-689-2723 for more information. View a collection of garden scenes captured on canvass by other painters over the years at http://ag.arizona.edu/bta/pleinairpainters.html
http://arboretum.ag.arizona.edu/pleinair.html
Boyce's Beer - Homebrewing Class (Date To Be Announced)
$20 for Arboretum members, $29 nonmembers
Boyce Thompson Arboretum has earned a reputation for innovative classes teaching visitors to harvest and prepare prickly pear cactus fruits and on a date To Be Announced, you can learn to make a batch of home-brewed 'Boyce's Beer' when Chandler residents Pete and Greg Rendek lead an afternoon workshop to brew a five-gallon batch of prickly pear IPA. Please Call 520-689-2723 and ask to be on teh waiting list to be alerted to the class date - leave your name, email & phone. Better known at the Arboretum for his popular series of photography classes, Pete has been home-brewing for several years with his son Greg, and they have made a variety of tasty ales, porters, weissbiers -- and, most recently, a great prickly pear IPA using juice from arboretum fruits. Class participants are invited to get to taste a sample of a completed batch and participate in the creation of a new batch of beer using 'the fruit of the desert.' Their workshop will run from 1-4:30 p.m. and is limited to 20 participants; the fee is $20 for Arboretum annual members and $29 for nonmembers - which includes the day's admission, so Pete & Greg advise enrollees to arrive early and enjoy the gardens, get lunch in nearby Superior before the afternoon session, and enjoy a fine December day."This workshop's designed for anyone who has been wanting to take the plunge and begin brewing your own beer, we'll have the basic equipment on hand and will give a discussion of ingredients as well as different brewing styles, techniques, and the modest equipment needed," said Pete, "and we'll sample some beer, too." Email Paul at BTAinfo@ag.arizona.edu with "Beer Class -- Add Me, Please" in the subject line to be on the waiting list for the next one.
2013 Artists At The Arboretum April 21 Exhibition And Sale
April 2013 date is To Be Announced; vendor applicants contact organizer Barb Plante by phone at 480-288-6195
Soroptimist International of Gold Canyon invites Arboretum visitors to enjoy a day when the Picnic Area will be filled with artist exhibitors, live music and food during the 6th Annual Artists at the Arboretum event. Our 2012 exhibitor list is post here [http://ag.arizona.edu/bta/soroptimistsaprilartists.pdf]. Art exhibitor booth spaces will be outdoors, and arranged circling the inner perimeter of the Picnic Area. View or download 2012 application documents here [http://ag.arizona.edu/bta/SoroptimistsArtistApplication.doc]. Soroptimist International of Gold Canyon is a non-profit women's group helping women locally and internationally -- for more information about this event or about the local Soroptimist club, contact Barb Plante by phone at 480-288-6195 , or email bplante46@yahoo.com
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