Cactus Dreams
by Jon Burch Photography
Title
Cactus Dreams
Artist
Jon Burch Photography
Medium
Photograph - Digital Capture/faa Watermark Will Not Be On Your Finished Photograph.
Description
Cacti among the rocks at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, Arizona.
The Desert Botanical Garden is a 140 acres botanical garden located at 1201 N. Galvin Parkway in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded by the Arizona Cactus and Native Flora Society in 1937 and established at this site in 1939, the garden now has more than 21,000 plants, in more than 4000 taxa, one-third of which are native to the area, including 139 species which are rare, threatened or endangered. Of special note are the rich collections of agave and cacti containing 10,350 plants in 1,350 groups of one or more populations of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit, especially the Opuntia sub-family. Plants from less extreme climate conditions are protected under shade houses. It focuses on plants adapted to desert conditions, including an Australian collection, a Baja California collection and a South American collection. Several ecosystems are represented: a mesquite bosque, semidesert grassland, and upland chaparral. The Desert Botanical Garden has been designated as a Phoenix Point of Pride.
In the 1930s, a small group of local citizens became interested in conserving the fragile desert environment. One was Swedish botanist Gustaf Starck, who found like-minded residents by posting a sign, 'Save the desert,' with an arrow pointing to his home. In 1936, they formed the Arizona Cactus and Native Flora Society (ACNFS) to sponsor a botanical garden to encourage an understanding, appreciation and promotion of the uniqueness of the world's deserts, particularly the local Sonoran Desert.
Digital effects were applied to the original photograph after the image was made. Image copyright 2016 Jon Burch Photography all rights reserved.
Uploaded
November 12th, 2015
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