The Arboretum

On Friday, we took a trip to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum to celebrate National Public Gardens Day. It was surprisingly lush and beautiful. Even the cacti {above} were in bloom! 

There were meadows of wildflowers filled with butterflies, hummingbirds and bees.

The Palo Verde trees were covered in yellow blossoms. Little Miss C has been reading bird-watching books for the last few years and expertly spied all kinds of birds {including a few cardinals!} in its branches!

We call L our Pokey Little Puppy, because he always seems to be trailing far behind, absorbed in studying tiny bugs, kicking dirt, and collecting rocks. He was in heaven here.

 The Children's Garden was so well designed. The kids got to be a human sundial...

 ... plant their own flowers...

 ... and get lost in a jasmine-covered-bamboo maze!

After hiking through the Sonoran Desert portion of the garden, we found some shade in a ravine and explored this amazing little house located next to the herb garden. Its walls are so thick, the interior stays nice and cool. Why don't we build houses like that nowadays? 

Baby R hated wearing a hat and ended up with a bit of a heat rash, but was otherwise quite the trooper.

We had a great time-- activities like these make homeschooling such a joy. I'm so grateful for public resources like art museums, gardens, science centers, zoos and local playhouses. I've lived here almost a decade and still feel as though we've barely scratched the surface as far as places like these go!