As the sun sets on Thursdays and Saturdays, desert-dwellers awake, cactus flowers bloom and a few hundred people bring their flashlights to the garden in Papago Park for a sensory exploration.
They come for the self-guided tours, which aim to educate guests about plants and animals and their relationship to the desert after sundown.
"The desert is different at night," said Pamela Levin, the garden's volunteer support coordinator.
"The humidity rises, and the cactus breathe. The critters, who are smarter than we are, come out of their burrows. You see black and white king snakes, and cactus blooms are open at their fullest."
The promotion, which evolved from a series of small, docent-led walks to popular self-guided tours, is scheduled through the beginning of September.
It features about a dozen discovery stations, spread across three trails.
New this year, is the Naked-eye Astronomy station, set at one of the garden's highest points along the Sonoran Desert Nature trail. Without the help of telescopes, visitors will study the stars and moon, and learn about the surrounding mountains.
Visitors will learn about native and invasive species at the Gecko and Lizard Discovery Station, and how to identify amphibians at the Frog and Toad Discovery Station.
Visitors will meet Prince, a 5-year-old king snake, at the Snake Discovery Station on the garden's main trail, the Desert Discovery trail. They'll learn that king snakes prey on other snakes, including rattlesnakes.
"You may see a king snake while strolling the trails, but it's not guaranteed," Levin said. "That's why we put Prince's terrarium out ... people can see they're a docile snake."
During nights in May and June, when the saguaro, agave and yucca blooms are at their best, the garden will host the Night Bloomers Station. The Insect Discovery Station will replace is in July and August.
Visitors are asked to bring their own flashlights and wear close-toed shoes.
The Desert Discovery trail is paved, but the others are packed dirt.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/thingstodo/events/20120530flashlight-tours-desert-botanical-garden-phoenix#ixzz1xtr3B96j
No comments:
Post a Comment