Language of Flowers Exhibit Highlights Valentine's

TUESDAY, 27 JANUARY 2009

Phoenix, Arizona - Invite your sweetheart to come with you to the Language of Flowers Valentine's Exhibit Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park. And be sure to bring your sweet tooth because the chocolate tasting portion of the event will be most tempting.

The annual Valentine's Day floral exhibit and chocolate tasting event will be held February 13-15 during Valentine's weekend. Visitors will learn the history of many kinds of flowers popular with couples on Cupid's day.

The exhibit will be held in the Smith Building Lecture Room from 8:00am until 5:00pm. Bring along a few dollars because chocolates will be sold along the trails from 10:00am until 3:00pm daily during the exhibit.

New Sunday Story Hour Premieres this Month
Preston Cox will be the featured children's book reader January 25 during the Arboretum's new story hour. He will read There was a Coyote who Swallowed a Flea beginning at 2:00pm. The new weekly series for children will also feature interactive lessons about desert plants and animals that depend on them. A guest reader will present a different book for children each week throughout February.

"The Arboretum Rocks" New Geology Walking Tour
Beginning January 31, the Arboretum's new geology tour will teach visitors about volcanic and rock formations along the Main Trail. Visitors will learn about two billion years of history during this educational experience. Miami, AZ resident Ben Henderson, a professional geologist and Arizona State Parks volunteer, will conduct the tour beginning at 1:30pm. The area around the Arboretum is one of the richest copper regions in the world.

Storytelling and Concert Highlight Australia Day
Australia Day is a celebration of "the land down under" and will feature outback storytelling and a tour through the Arboretum's towering 100-foot Eucalyptus Forest followed by a digerdoo concert. Australia Day is the annual event dedicated to showcasing the Arboretum's Australian forest collections.

The walking tour begins at 11:00am followed by the storytelling session and concert from 1:30pm until 3:00pm. "Didgeridoo" is a large bamboo or wooden trumpet of the Australian aborigines.

Storytelling will feature Australian folklorist Paul "Walking Stick" Taylor, who will share his bush ballads, outback poems and didgeridoo music.

Visitors are invited to learn to play their own didgeridoo at a morning workshop the same day. The one-of-a-kind class will be held from 9:00am until 11:30am. Cost is $35 for Arboretum members and $45 for non-members. Phone 520-689-2723 to enroll.

Edible and Medicinal Desert Plants Guided Walk
Ethno-botanist Dave Morris guides this Sunday tour January 25 explaining the ways native desert plants have fed, clothed and healed indigenous peoples for thousands of years. The tour begins at 1:30pm and follows the Curandero trail, which is moderately steep and not accessible by wheelchair.

Plants of the Bible Guided Walk
Learn about plants, botany and Scripture during this slow-paced tour that points out plant species mentioned in the Bible growing at the Arboretum. The tour begins at 1:30pm February 1 and follows wheelchair accessible trails.

Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park is located three miles west of historic Superior on U.S. Highway 60. The Language of Flowers event, Australia Day activities (except for the didgeridoo workshop), Story Hour, Arboretum Rocks, and all tours and guided walks are free with admission. Phone 520-689-2723 or visit http://ag.arizona.edu/bta for more information.

For information about Arizona State Parks call (602) 542-4174 (outside of the Phoenix metro area call toll-free (800) 285-3703) or visit the website at www.azstateparks.com.

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