Thursday, October 08, 2009

Geezergarten

I’m going back to school. Yesterday was my first day studying to be a docent at Tohono Chul Park (http://www.tohonochulpark.org/gardens.html), a beautiful desert botanical garden near where we live.

The training is very rigorous and time consuming—basically all day Wednesday and a few hours the rest of the week. Yesterday was my first day, and it was so much fun! I learned a few interesting things, including the fact that international taxonomy rules have changed quite a lot since I last studied zoology in the sixties. These days some experts think birds (Aves) should be a subdivision of snakes (Reptilia). I partly like that, since it acknowledges that birds descended from dinosaurs, but I also think it disses birds.

In other news… Sundial 10-7-2009 7-31-07 AM 2304x1728 Cement horned toad 10-7-2009 5-33-31 AM 1575x772 Education garden 10-7-2009 5-34-05 AM 2304x1728 the Docent Emperor told me that the reason I saw no pack rat nests is that they live-trap and kill all packrats they find in the park. I understand, but am a little creeped out.  Above, pictures from gardens near the education center, including a cement horned toad and a very elaborate sundial.

2 comments:

  1. Very exciting! Keep us posted on the seasonal changes at the park.

    Why is the sundial in the shade?

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  2. Maybe we should meet there for breakfast one day while I'm in town. I never had time to really look around last time.

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