Growing With Science Blog

For a combined celebration of Earth Day and Arbor Day, my son and I went to the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. A number of the cacti were in full bloom the day we went, the butterfly pavilion is open and Dale Chihuly’s glass exhibit is in place. It was incredible.

I decided a blog post wouldn’t do the photos justice, so I have posted them in a page that allows for a slide show. Follow the link and then click on “Play Slideshow.”

http://activities.growingwithscience.com/Site/Photos.html

Let me know if it gives you any difficulty. Enjoy!

The cacti are blooming this week.

The prickly pears,

are particularly colorful.

The agaves are flowering, too.

I’m not sure what this one is, but it is spectacular. Anyone know?

All these flowers are producing nectar and pollen galore. The insects are busy.

Can you find all the arthropods in this picture? I’ve tried to make it big enough for you to see everything, but let me know if it takes too long to load.

This bug of the week raises more questions than it answers.

It is yellow and black. Is it a flower fly?

Is it a wasp?

A close-up shows it has four wings and a fuzzy body, which makes it a bee.

Now, what kind of bee is it?