Every botanical garden has an origin story. The story tells how the garden came to be where it is, the passions of the founders, the purpose for its being and the original plants. Desert Botanical Garden’s origin story also includes the serendipitous recruitment of...
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 next generation of saguaros. In a small square pot, 100 black seeds are scattered across a sandy bed. Several of them have already sprouted into seedlings. The seedlings are only a few millimeters in size, resembling green jelly beans with a spiky head. The...
Saguaros are Arizona’s unique icons however, their ubiquitous presence in urban landscapes might be at risk. In recent years, there’s been increased reports of fallen or ill saguaros across the Phoenix metro area. Although the ultimate causes might not yet be...
Endangered Species Day When we think an endangered species, it’s easy to envision a bald eagle, whale or giant panda. However, did you know that there are more federally protected plant species than animals in the United States? Why protect plants? Could you...
