We spent our final evening in Arizona at the incredible Desert Botanical Gardens. I had heard how wonderful the gardens were and my expectations were high. Not only was I not disappointed, I was completely overwhelmed with wonder and awe.

With 140 acres and over 50,000 plants, the two hours we allowed ourselves wasn’t nearly enough. While I appreciated the late afternoon light and the cooler temperatures, I could have spent days wandering slowly through the exhibits, stopping to explore each and every species.

The Desert Botanical Gardens began in 1939 when a group of local activities stuck a sign in the ground that read “Save the Desert.” Today the garden is an incredible tribute to the plants that grow in the Sonoran desert landscape.

We were delighted to spot many Gambel’s Quail throughout the garden. Less shy than other quails that I have spotted in the wild, I was still grateful to have the 70-200 lens on my camera.

The Desert Botanical Gardens is home to a large pollinator garden and butterfly house. Sadly, I didn’t check the hours before booking our time slot and the butterfly house was closed when we arrived. Still, I could have spent hours in the pollinator garden exhibit photographing the flowers that reminded me of my backyard garden.

As we headed towards the exit, we spotted a male Costa’s Hummingbird and again I was grateful for the telephoto lens. He allowed us a few minutes of photographing him before he chirped and set off high into the darkening sky.

The Desert Botanical Gardens participates in the American Horticultural Society’s Reciprocal Admissions Program, check to see if your local garden participates as well.

The Technical Details: All of these images were captured using the Sony a7rV + 70-200 GM II lens.