Celebrating 85 Years of the Garden: Wendy Hodgson, A Desert Botanical Garden Botanist Icon

January 17, 2024

Photo by Kate Watters How many people can say they have worked for the same institution for 50 years? Wendy Hodgson, Herbarium Curator Emerita and Senior Research Botanist, is that rare individual at Desert Botanical Garden who came to a place for a job and stayed...

Help the Garden Track Monarchs This Winter

November 20, 2023

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...

Meet the Garden’s Newest Research Assistant Luis Romero

October 5, 2023

Across the sandy desert floor in northwestern New Mexico, two small rare cactus species — Sclerocactus mesae-verdae and Sclerocactus cloverae — call this place home. Yet, these plants are threatened by poachers and habitat loss due to oil and gas development in the...

Meet the Butterflies Arriving to Garden This Fall

September 18, 2023

The fall butterfly exhibit, Majestic Mariposas, opens Sept. 23 and is on display through Nov. 12 from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Learn about some of the Southwestern butterflies you can meet in the exhibit this fall: Monarch butterflies are well known for their...

Cactus Care Tips from Garden Horticulture Staff

April 27, 2023

Most cactus are best grown outdoors in filtered sun or on a bright patio while others can tolerate full sun. If the cactus gets too much sun it will sunburn, which results in a yellowing of the skin, progressing to a browning (killing) on the sunniest side. If this...