The Desert Is Abloom

Monday, March 30 (Phoenix). After a late breakfast at the Fairmont we jumped in The Impala and headed down Highway 101 to Phoenix and the Desert Botanical Garden in Papago Park next to the Phoenix Zoo. Joining us were a slew of corn-fed Midwestern Snowbirds and a gaggle of "locals".
The Garden not only has examples of every conceivable succulent and cactus, but also a ton of blooming wildflowers. Scattered through the Garden were the swirling, surrealistic blown glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly. Some of Chihuly's pieces were tall and spiky, mimicking desert plants like Ocotillo, and others, like small wooden boats stuffed to the gunwales with glass "marbles", were incongruous in this arid setting.
Hummingbirds and bees zipped among the flowering plants, Gila Woodpeckers pecked away at the giant Saguaro catci, and Redtail Hawks soared in the thermals rising from the desert. Swallowtail butterflies landed on us, and orange "Julia" and yellow and black "Zebra Longwing" butterflies soaked up the sun while perching on nectar-laden flowers, inside the Butterfly Pavilion.
Although the air temperature was only about 77 degrees, the nearly overhead sun beat down on our skulls and heated the ground to almost a hundred degrees. But a cooling breeze blew now and again and we found a shady spot on a patio overlooking the desert to enjoy our lunch.
While the Garden only has about a mile and half of trails, it took us about four hours, including our lunch break, to tour it all, stopping frequently to examine plants closely and shoot a large number of photos.