Summer Nature Camp 2013

Join our enchanting Garden Nature Camp with special guests (both human and animal!) from the Reid Park Zoo, for exciting natural science discoveries and ecology explorations.

During each camp, we will discover, play and learn in a variety of creative and intriguing ways. Along the way, we will make ecological links between our desert and garden plants and the animals that depend upon them when we meet Zoo animals. We will visit with these Zoo animals up close and personal when they visit the Gardens with camp staff from the Reid Park Zoo!

Campers will enjoy an “away-at-camp”. We will spend early mornings immersed in nature explorations. Mid-morning is time for indoor visual and performing arts, stories and science activities. Surprises will abound. Lunch time will bring games, outdoor fun and an introduction to our afternoon activities and discoveries (see individual camp descriptions for more details). Then, late in the afternoon, we will enjoy our refreshingly cool indoor space with glow-in-the-dark stars and a central “campfire” as we gather around for a magical away-at-camp “night” with stories of the wild and other camp games, songs, magic and mythology.

The director and lead instructor for Garden Nature Camp is Tucson Botanical Garden’s educational specialist Alyson Green, M.Ed. Alyson’s holds a master’s degree in environmental education and is a certified Montessori elementary teacher with many years of experience as a nature guide, outdoor program designer, park ranger naturalist and classroom teacher. Her great love is introducing children to the wonders of nature through outdoor discovery and hands-on projects and the sparking of young imaginations through storytelling and the creative arts.

 Desert Wild (Grades 1 and 2)
June 3 to 7
8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Desert Wild explorers will discover the fascinating world of desert plant adaptations and ecology (prickly, pokey plants, oh my!). We will also discover the magic of seeds and the plant life cycle, as we uncover mysteries of the plant world including plant predators—our carnivorous plants!

Register Online

Garden Wild (Grades 3 and 4)
June 24 to 28
8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Garden Wild explorers will dive into water-wise garden care and ethnobotany–the many ways desert people interact with plants. We will discover foods made from cacti, make medicines from our desert plants, play ancient music and games, and find out how the water cycle works in the desert.

Register Online

Eco Wild (Grades 5 and 6)
July 15 to 19
8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Eco Wild explorers will dig into plant and animal connections, conservation and the many wild and woolly career options available in the natural sciences. We will discover secrets only animals know about their habitats, travel (in our imaginations) to the many biomes of the world, and create biogeography maps of our discoveries.  In our exploration of future areas of study, we will uncover secrets held in the DNA of fruit, examine repeating patterns found in nature (from the microscopic to the deep oceans and outer space!), and uncover other mysteries waiting to be discovered by scientists with creative, inquiring minds.

Register Online

All camps are $195 members/$220 non-members

Participants should come with their sunscreen already applied as well as a sack lunch and morning snack.  An afternoon snack will be provided.  Hurry, space is limited.

You can also  register by calling (520) 326-9686, Ext. 19.

Flights of Fancy

 May 1 to June 30

With Southern Arizona listed as a premiere destination for amateur and serious birders alike, the Gardens has invited its flighted friends, both migratory and residents, to make a home outdoors, in the Backyard Bird Garden, during later spring and early summer.

Single-family abodes, multi-unit dwellings, garrets, fabricated nests and other residences will be on display.  Join us as we observe who moves in to the newly installed houses.   Most likely to be seen are Verdin, Ash-throated flycatcher, Pyrrhuloxia, Purple martin, Lesser goldfinch and Cactus wren.  With a little luck, you may also encounter Lucy’s warbler, Ash-throated flycatcher and Western kingbird.

Many of the birdhouses will be for sale and can be picked up at the end of the exhibit.

Dog Days of Summer

May through September  (Tuesdays only)

It’s the dog days of summer at Tucson Botanical Gardens! Beat off the heat as you and your dog enjoy TBG every Tuesday, May through September. Meander our five and a half acres of lush greenery, shady paths and beautiful blooming cacti, succulents, annuals and perennials – the perfect setting for your walk. Walkers and their furry friends are welcome all day, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Regular admission charges apply for humans with dog admission at $3 per dog. Please bring a leash, water for you and your dog and waste disposal bags to keep our garden clean. Don’t want to pay for your dog each time? Sign up for a Dog Membership! Click here for more information on Dog Membership

Professional Dog Photography here at the Gardens, for more info click here Dog Portraits

Hours & Admission

Garden hours: Garden hours are 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Open seven days a week, year round, except July 4th, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Day and New Year’s Day.

Gardens’ admission: $8 for adults (age 13+), $7 student/senior/military, $4 children 4-12, $3 dogs, free for children under 4.

Garden Geckos Preschool Program

A nature program for preschool-aged children and their parents.

Our new early childhood parent and child program begins this spring!  Garden Geckos is a program meant to introduce young children to the wonders of the natural world through exploration of Tucson Botanical Gardens.  Each week will include outdoor time as well as a variety of activities including stories, crafts, songs and more.    Program fees are for the entire four week series and include one child (2-5 years old) and one parent.

Session 1: Wiggles & Wings

Fridays, 9:30-10:30
March 15-April 5 (4 weeks)

Learn about the wonderful world of bugs, including butterflies, spiders, and worms, throughhikes, games, stories, and other activities.

$40 members, $50 non-members

Session 2: Garden Explorers

Fridays, 9:30-10:30 a.m.
April 19-May 10 (4 weeks)

Explore the plants of Tucson Botanical Gardens and learn about how they grow and the animals that need them to survive.

$40 members, $50 non-members

To register, please call 520-326-9686 ext. 19 or register online.

Porter Hall Gallery

Open daily 8:30am – 4:30pm (except for holidays)

Vicky Stromee, Windows: Scenes observed, remembered and imagined
Mar. 23 to Apr. 26

During a career in psychotherapy, Vicky Stromee found meditating on the natural world offered her solace from clients’ emotional storms. Over the years, she became increasingly entranced with the natural world, and in her newest series of photographic work, on display at TBG through April 26, Stromee captures sights both real and imagined and invites the viewer to pause and enjoy the secrets of the scene. Windows offers a glimpse in as well as a view out; a narrow stolen glance or a broad moment’s meditation on the secrets that lie both within and beyond the frame.

Join the Gardens for free artist reception on Mar. 29, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Upcoming  featured Artists and Groups:

Apr. 29 to May 31: Vision / Revision, work from photography students at Pima Community College
June 3 to 28: Jenny Day, These trace remains
July 1 to 31: Holly Swangstu and David Kish
Aug. 3 to 28: C.J. Shane
Aug. 31 to Sept. 30: Juried group show, 85712
Oct. 3 to Nov. 4: Paintings by Susan Imwalle and Donna Helms
Nov. 7 to Dec. 18: Comings and Goings, The Work of Julie Freshwater, Dan Chavez, Carol Lucas and Kathy Robbins
Dec. 21 to Jan. 15, 2014: Barbara Brandel and Karen Bellamy

Certificate in Urban Forestry Program Register Now!

February 26 – April 23, 2013

Join us this spring for our Certificate in Urban Forestry program. In partnership with the Garden District Neighborhood Association, the City of Tucson and Trees for Tucson, Tucson Botanical Gardens is offering this 9-week program in an effort to engage and educate our community about the development and maintenance of Tucson’s urban forest. Class sessions will cover urban forestry basics, tree biology, tree care, pruning, tree inventories, and community engagement. Hands-on sessions will allow participants to literally get their hands dirty by working in our community to plant, maintain, and inventory trees. Upon completion of the program, participants will be prepared to join an active volunteer corps working to make Tucson’s neighborhoods greener and healthier. Classes meet Tuesday evenings from 5:30-8:30 p.m. and some Saturdays.

Program Fee: $195 for Tucson Botanical Gardens members and $220 for non-members. Please call 326-9686 ext. 19 to register or for more information. Space is limited.

Bookworm Club

May 4

10 to 11 a.m.

Join us the first Saturday of each month for family story time. At each meeting, young visitors will enjoy books read aloud in the Children’s Discovery Garden (or an indoor location in case of inclement weather) as well as a related hands-on activity or craft. Becoming an official Book Worm is easy — just join us at a meeting and you’re in. Fun for the whole family. Free with Gardens Admission.

Upcoming Classes

Education is an integral part of the Tucson Botanical Gardens, for adults and children. With a wide range of gardens and gardening-related offerings, there is something for everyone, whether a newcomer to the desert or a native Tucsonan – have a peek at all we have happening this season!

ONLINE REGISTRATION NOW AVAILABLE!

Browse the community education schedule and register for classes:

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

Or register today by calling (520) 326-9686, ext. 19.

Give Your Garden A Jump Start In The New Year!

Our January community education schedule is packed with classes to help you brush up on your gardening and garden design skills. Join us for classes and workshops on Sustainable Landscape Design, Container Gardening, Managing Garden Insects Naturally, and more.

Browse our January class schedule:
http://www.tucsonbotanical.org/education/adult-classes-trips/january-classes/

Become a Docent!

Save the date! The next Tucson Botanical Gardens Docent Training starts Jan. 16. Do you love the Gardens and want to share your enthusiasm with others? Want to deepen your knowledge of local flora and fauna, environmental education, water-wise gardening and the cultural connections between people and plants? Become a docent at the Tucson Botanical Gardens and you’ll be part of a team of educators and interpreters serving the Tucson community and visitors from all over the world.

When: Wednesday mornings from 9 a.m. to noon
Jan. 16 to March 13 (nine weeks)

Where: The beautiful grounds of the Tucson Botanical Gardens

Cost: This nine-week training requires a fee of $120, which includes Gardens membership ($70 for current members)

What does a docent do?
Docents at Tucson Botanical Gardens are an active and vital part of our educational programs. After completing training they lead garden tours, present educational outreach programs for adults and children, staff educational stations to engage garden visitors and assist with horticultural therapy programs. Docents also teach Gardens Signature Classes, participate in developing and refining new educational programs, assist with special events and act as interpreters by providing information to visitors and helping them make lasting memories at the Gardens.

Docents take occasional training classes to keep their skills and knowledge fresh. They also commit to serving regularly in their chosen areas of focus.

What do docents learn in training?
• History of the Tucson Botanical Gardens
• Thematic Spaces in the Gardens, from Irises to Cacti
• Skills for Effective Communication with Various Audiences
• Desert Ecology and Local Flora and Fauna
• Botany for Gardeners
• Principles of Xeriscaping and Water Conservation
• Gardening for Birds and Butterflies
• Wildflowers
• Ethnobotany (people-plant connections)

Interested in Learning More?
Join us for coffee at 9 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 7, and learn more about what it means to become a docent at Tucson Botanical Gardens. Call Christine Hoekenga at 520-326-9686, Ext. 31, or email her at education2@tucsonbotanical.org to sign up or for more information.