On the road from Tuscon to Saguaro National Park (West), the Sonora Desert Museum is a must-see stop.   On the 98 acre grounds is an extensive botanical garden which we toured after hiking in the desert hills.   A few photos are shared here.

At the entrance area was southwestern mock vervain (glandularia gooddingii) in flower.   This member of the verbena family grows in dry washes and on rocky hills.

“The Desert Museum’s gardens showcase this vibrant ecosystem and represent a variety of biotic communities found within the Sonoran Desert region. You will see 1,200 different types of plants with 56,000 individual specimens planted on the grounds – Mountain Woodland, Desert Grasslands, Agave Garden,Interactive Agave Garden Map, Palo Verde Trees, Hohokam Agave Field, Cactus Garden, Labyrinth, People and Pollinators, Riparian Corridor, Walk In Aviary,  Life Zone Transects, Tropical Deciduous Forest, Desert Garden,  Yucca Ramada, and Pollination Gardens.”

Agaves, yuccas, and  century plants were in many shapes and colors.

Desert bluebells (phacelia campanularia) filled spaces between cacti.

Rocketsalad (eruca vesicaria) is an edible annual plant with a tart, peppery flavor.   It is sometimes called arugula.

Many shapes of cacti covered large areas.

Most California evening primroses (oenothera californica) are white, but a few are pink.  They are native to the Sonoran Desert.

In the aviary, hummingbirds flitted between vines and flowering plants, stopping briefly on branches.   This was the highlight of the tour.

We also toured the zoo and took a few photos:

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We hope to return to tour the museum again, taking more time to view the various displays.