Fall Plant Sale Extended To October 31
Daily during business hours from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Visit this month, walk the trails and bring home a carload of plants ideal for autumn landscaping and gardening -- we have a wide selection of trees, shrubs, cacti, succulents and herbs during the Arboretum Fall Plant Sale, which has been extended through Halloween, Octobe 31. Annual members save 20-percent on plant and book purchases,
and embership is a great way to show your support for BTA! Call 520-689-2723
to order a membership by credit card.
Read about Lectures, Concerts
and Special Plant Sale Events.
Bird Walk October 24 -- and November weekends
8:30am October 24 -- also November 6, 14, 20 and 28 -- and December 4
Guided birdwalks continue for the Fall season with tour guides Cindy West and Richard Ditch leading the walk October 24, then with Troy Corman November
6, Marceline Vandewater and Richard Ditch November 14, Troy Corman November
20, Cindy Marple November 28 and the season's final walk is with Kathe Anderson
and Cindy West December 4.
Recent BTA Bird checklist Reports
Edible
and Medicinal Desert Plants Guided Walk October 24
at 1:30 p.m., tour repeats November 13 and November 28
Ethnobotanist Dave Morris returns as our special guest tour guides for this popular walk on October
24, Sunday, sharing his knowledge about the ways desert plants have fed, healed
and clothed Sonoran desert peoples for more than a thousand years. Apache
Junction co-authors Jean Groen and Don Wells lead this walk on the Second Saturday each month, their next tour will be November 13.
** 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
Tom Boggan Photography Walk-A-Bout October 24
3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday, October 24
Informal
and outdoor monthly 'walk-a-bout' photo workshops workshops are opportunities to improve your camera skills on a relaxed
shoot, with beautiful garden scenes and alongside a pro -- and with plenty
of chances to ask questions about the dials, settings and control on your
own camera. Our October shoot will showcase late afternoon light as the setting sun bathes rock formations and plants at BTA with warm tones. Gilbert
professional photographer Tom Boggan has a talent for portraits and a passion
for nature photography, and he generously volunteers a morning each month
helping our visitors improve their camera skills. Workshops
with Tom are limited to eight students. Pre-payment of $27.50
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 Tom and students posted from 2009
and 2010 shoots. 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 this flickr gallery
Girl
Scout Badge Workshops - October 30
Badge workshops Continue Saturdays November6 and 13
During
October Girl Scout badge workshops offer a chance to study subjects
ranging from photography to desert critters, wildlife and even finding your
way in the outdoors! Juniors will study the
"Finding Your Way" badge October 30, then the "Arizona" badge November 6 and then Cadettes will study "Plant Life" Nov. 13. Read complete details on October
and November Badge Workshops.Fees are $5.00 per scout and $7.50 per
adult; Girl Scout families may also bring non-scout participants for a $3.00
for other kids between age 5-12. To sign up and prepay, have a credit card
ready and call Arboretum staff at 520-689-2723; business hours during September
are daily from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.
Plants of the Bible Walk November 7
1:30 p.m. Sunday, November 7, and again Saturday November 20
Learn about botany, history and scripture on this slow-paced and relaxing weekend
walk down smooth and flat trails that are wheelchair-accessible. October-through-April
tours departs the Visitor Center breezeway at 1:30 p.m. on the first Sunday
of each month guided by Leda Fide, and on the third Saturday
each month with Dave Oberpriller leading the walk. Frankincense is among the most famous plants referenced
in scripture, and Dave will have a few potted, rare frankincense plants available
for purchase on each of his tour dates, with a portion of the proceeds donated
to the Arboretum!
Palms, figs and pomegranates are Plants
of the Bible.
History Walk November 6
10:00 a.m. Saturdays, November 6, December 4 and January 1
Phoenix historian Sylvia Lee has researched little-known facts about Arboretum
history and will share some of her trove of knowledge on a walking tour at 10:00 a.m. on the first Saturday each month this Fall. Bring your questions -- share your own family anecdotes about BTA -- and
Sylvia bring historic photos of the Arboretum from your grandparents'
photo album, if you have photos to share. Tour times move to 10am November through April.
Complete Details in Arboretum E-Newsletter
Gourd Art Class November 7
Sunday, November 7 from 9:00 a.m. til 1:00 p.m.
Learn to burn, paint, etch and emboss decorative gourds with coaching from Mesa
artist Gerald Johnson. Pre-registration is required, and this class is limited
to ten students from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Enrollment is $37.50 (or $30
to Arboretum annual members) includes a gourd and full morning of coaching
and artistic inspiration. Call 520-689-2723 to enroll and prepay.
Live Music Festival
November 13, Saturday, from 10:00 am to 4:30 p.m.
You'll hear live music that's both acoustic and eclectic from a variety
of performers, and in several different gardens throughout this Saturday event,
with a different musician each hour. See photos and performers from our 2009
Fall Music Festival event.
Sunday Dog Socialization Walk October 17
8:15 a.m. Sunday, October 17
Leashed and well-behaved pets are welcome at the Arboretum, and as the days cool off this Fall your canine compadre is invited to meet and sniff new friends, while
dogs' human companions learn some facts about the Arboretum and about desert
plants from BTA volunteer Sandra and her buddy Chaco. No pre-registration is required, and there
is no additional fee to participate.
Complete Details in Arboretum
E-Newsletter
Sunday Tree Tour with Terry Mikel November 21
Sunday, at 1:30 p.m. Tours offered on the third Sunday each month October-through-April
"What's an Arboretum?" Terry Mikel is our special guest as tour guide for a Sunday 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 us for a chance to learn about the towering sycamore and cottonwood trees,
native hackberry, mesquite and many more.
"The
Arboretum Rocks!" -- geology walking tour November 27 at 1:30 p.m.
Monthly tours are at 1:30 p.m. October-through-April
Our
geology tour teaches about some of the rocks and volcanic formations seen
along the main trail -- and will span almost two billion years of geologic
history in just over one educational hour! Learn about Pinal schist, the volcanic
origins of Picket Post Mountain and the Apache Leap tuff with tourguide Ben
Henderson or else ASU Professor Steve Semken . Fall and Winter geology walks are at 1:30 p.m. October 23 and November 27.
Date To-Be-Announced -- "Indigenous Intrument Open Mic"
An October or November evening from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m in the
Picnic Area -- call for details
Do you play a djembe drum, offer peaceful serenades with a cedar flute, or howl
away on the didgeridoo? Share your music during an informal and outdoor 'indigenous
instrument open mic' in the picnic area on a September evening. Invite friends
and plan a Saturday evening picnic at the tables and charcoal grilles, with
a chance to hear some new and interesting music from Arboretum annual members
and visitors. Performers who reserved stage time for our debut event in July
included Mark "Locopelli" Saylors, who played a spiral didgeridoo;
also Mesa drummer Cindy Green -- cedar flute player Saggio also shared his
singular music on Marimba, Kora and a Swiss Hang drum (correctly pronounced
like "Hung"). Admission is free for BTA members and registered participating
musicians. Non-members who aren't sharing a music performance on stage can
attend for the regular admission of $7.50 for adults, $3 ages 5-12. And if
the evening looks threateningly stormy, we'll host this event under cover
up in the visitor center lobby.
See performers photos on Facebook
Tofu Holiday Recipe Workshop with The Herb Lady
November 20, Saturday, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Tofu is the plain sister of healthy foods with a secret - it is a palate for flavor!
Tofu is not just for vegetarians and can take your next holiday
meal to a whole new level. In this presentation Catherine 'The Herb Lady' Crowley explains that menu planning for the holidays
with vegan or vegetarian family and friends is not the challenge you would
think. Take home holiday and casual recipe ideas - and try samples of them
too - for entertaining using nutrient-dense tofu and edamame (green soy beans)
that will please meat-eaters and vegetarians alike. Enrollment costs $10 for
members, $17.50 for non-members. Recipes and food samples are included. Space
is limited. Call 520.689.2723 to register.
Fall Foliage Finale - Thanksgiving Weekend
November 27 and 28, Thanksgiving Weekend, from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
The
Arboretum has Arizona's undisputed Fall Foliage Finale, with impressive color
from changing leaves in the Chinese pistachio trees as well as the honey locusts,
varnish trees and pomegranates. Thanksgiving weekend includes Native American
style cedar flute music played by Chino Valley recording artist Joseph Leal
each day from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., along with guest guitarists during
breaks. Vendors will be set up beneath the colorful trees, and we offer informal outdoor photography workshops as well.
See
Fall Foliage Photos and read more
Artisans at the Arboretum - Fourth Annual Soroptimists
Event
April 30, 2011 - Saturday
Art, craft and food booths circled the Picnic Area again this past year,
offering a one-day chance to see and purchase unique paintings, photography
-- cruciform art and more courtesy of Soroptimists International of Gold Canyon.
The Third annual fundraising arts festival helped the Gold Canyon Soroptimists,
non-profit women's group devoted to helping women locally and internationally.
For vendor information call organizer Barb Plante at 480-288-6195, or email
barbaraplante@mchsi.com ; check out the list of participating 2010 artists:
http://ag.arizona.edu/bta/artists.xls
