View of cliffs from Magma Ridge trail
The long established arboretum has mature desert trees, shrubs and cacti from all over the world. I, Jean took two days to satisfy my curiosity about the vast collection - and I didn’t even look at the Australian Eucalyptus grove and barely studied the fantastic cactus area.
We arrived around 7 a.m.; by one or two p.m., the 100° heat had done me in and we headed east 7 miles to our primitive camp ground at Oak Flat (in view of the Magma Mine: copper) at a more comfortable 4000 ft. elevation, where the afternoon temperatures were in the high 80’s. Except for one afternoon when we got a hail storm with quarter inch hail stones. Of course we stopped at the Dairy Queen in Superior for ice cream cones.
My main interest was the north slope trails of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts. It has been such a dry year that there were no annuals, but I renewed aquaintance with many desert shrubs.
Apricot Mallow was everywhere, but mostly in seed except in more wet locations.
This low gray shrub is guayule, a source of rubber.
Government subsidized plantations during WWII should Pacific sources of rubber be cut off.
Agave lechuguilla of Mexico
More attractive were the many species of Agave with clusters of succulent prickly leaves and towering flower spikes.
Here and there was a native wild tobacco , all sticky with a musky scent
The demonstration gardens were a riot of color and showed what can be done in a desert environment with limited water usage.
The brilliant yellow of paper flower, Psilostrophe tagetina contrasted beautifully with violet Verbena pulchella.
Desert Willow in a natural setting made a restful view from a comfortable chair under a palo verde tree in the demonstration gardens.
