Calling all early birds – these are the final days for 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. access to the peaceful trails and colorful gardens at Boyce Thompson Arboretum; Sept. 1 marks the return of Fall-Winter schedule when BTA will be open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. through April (Dec. 25 is the only closed day scheduled all year).
What else does Sept. bring? Labor Day Mon. there’s a season finale of the popular prickly pear cactus fruit juicing class series – and the ‘Bye Bye Buzzards’ annual salute to turkey vultures is Sept. 22.
Former AJ resident and acclaimed artist Sandy Tracey will offer a plein air painting class on Sept. 30 and a wide array of weekend nature walks, photography classes and botany tours are listed below (check BTA’s website for complete info).
Most weekend events are included with daily admission of $9 for adults, $4.50 for ages 5-12. Annual memberships allow a couple or family to visit year-round; these start at $45 for a couple or $60 for a family (ask about the half-price ‘good neighbor’ deal especially for Superior residents).
Learn more with a visit to AG.Arizona.edu/BTA or connect with staff, volunteer tour guides and thousands of fans at Facebook.com/BoyceThompsonArboretum.
September Events:
Sept. 1 Dragonfly Walk With ASU Prof. Pierre Deviche 8:30 a.m.
Sept. 3 Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit Class with AJ residents Jean Groen and Robert Lewis at 10:30 a.m.
Sept. 8 & 9 Learn Your Lizards Guided Walks 8:30am (Saturday with ‘Wild Man Phil’ Rakoci and Sunday with Abi King from the AZ Game & Fish Department)
Sept. 15 Central AZ Butterfly Association annual count 8:30am-4:00pm (complete details posted at cazba.org)
Sept. 15 Plants of the Bible Walk with Dave Oberpriller 8:30am
Sept. 16 Tree Tour at 8:30am with Tom McDonald (owner of Smiling Dog Landscapes in Gold Canyon)
Sept. 16 Pomegranate Harvest And Processing Class at 10:30am with Jean Groen & Robert Lewis
Sept. 16 Camera Class: ‘Fall Foliage Photography’ with Colleen Miniuk-Sperry
Sept. 22 Geology tour with Alan Seymour and Scott McFadden at 8:30am.
Sept. 22 Butterfly Walk with Adriane Grimaldi 8:30 am.
Sept. 23 Edible & Medicinal Desert Plants Guided Walk With Jean Groen 8:30am.
Sept. 22 Bye-Bye Buzzards 7am-2pm (vulture viewing with ASU Prof. Dave Pearson from 7-8:30 am, then a guided birdwalk with Dave at 8:30am)
Sept. 29 Gourd Art Class with Jerry & Vicki Johnson at 9am.
Sept. 30 Paul Landau Macro Photography. 2-4pm.
Oct. 6 Guided Bird Walk with Cindy Marple 8:30am
Oct. 6 History Walk With Sylvia Lee 10am
Oct. 7 Plants of the Bible Walk with Leda Fide 1:30pm.
To comment on this article and others visit the Copper Area News Facebook or send us an email at CBNSun@MinerSunBasin.com