Boyce Thompson Arboretum is the oldest and largest in the state of Arizona and one of the oldest botanical institutions west of the Mississippi River. Founded in 1924, the arboretum is located in the Sonoran Desert on 392 acres (159 ha) along Queen Creek and beneath the towering volcanic remnant, Picket Post Mountain. Boyce Thompson Arboretum is on U.S. Highway 60, an hour’s drive east from Phoenix. Over 2,600 species of arid land plants from around the world grow at the arboretum.
Last Wednesday, Paul Staley and I drove out to the Arboretum in search of some interesting photographs. Following are some of my favourites for the day.
My first photograph features Ayer Lake, located along the main pathway encircling the park. It’s a timely pause in the 1.5 mile hike around the arboretum. It’s literally an oasis in the desert. (Another view of Ayer Lake is also the subject of the header at the top of the post.)
One of the first areas of the arboretum that we visited was the Australian exhibit, the largest at the arboretum, stretching over approximately 10 acres of sprawling woodland. It encompasses 1,280 plantings, many of which date from the mid-1920s. The exhibit includes the largest and most diverse stand of eucalyptus trees in North America.
The Australian exhibit also includes structures and artifacts reminiscent of the Australian outback. (Anyone see the movie Crocodile Dundee?) Despite our efforts to locate an outback-style pub, we came up thirsty. We’re not certain what this windmill in the next photo was originally intended to pump!
This structure is called a “Drovers Wool Shed”, a small, basic shed used by Australian sheep herders, particularly “drovers” who moved large flocks of sheep across long distances, a shelter to store their wool temporarily while on the move.
The final artifact at the Australian exhibit was an old Dodge Power Wagon, undoubtedly a workhorse in its day.
If you’re wondering about the absence of tree photos, I confess that I devoted my photographic efforts more to the very interesting artifacts we found at the Australia exhibits.
This tree, displaying it’s autumn colours did catch my attention.
Magna Ridge, is a towering presence in the centre of the arboretum. The arboretum’s main path leads around this mountainous ridge. In this photograph, I was able to frame it with, some colourful flora.
Perched on a high cliff overlooking the Boyce Thompson Arboretum stands the Picket Post House, also known as the Picket Post Mansion. This dramatically situated estate served as the winter residence of William Boyce Thompson, the wealthy founder of the Arboretum.
Picket Post Mountain is located just west of the arboretum, approximately 40 miles east of the Phoenix Metro Area. The summit stands at an elevation of 4,375 feet above sea level, with a prominence 2,000 feet above its base. Although not part of the Boyce Thomson Arboretum, it’s a prominent presence, bounding the west side of the park. I took this photograph from the mountain’s west side. I’ve photographed it before and always look forward to shooting it. I was fortunate to have a light wind that day. You’ll notice that the windmill’s rotor blades are slightly blurred, just enough to imply motion.
I look forward to returning to this very interesting place, perhaps in the spring when the trees, cacti and flowers are more colourful.