Seeking Royal Seeds
We take our Peniocereus greggii quite cereusly, but rest assured we are not dressing up The Queen for her coronation! The white organza bags you see covering The Queen’s ripening fruit allow sunlight and […]
Meet Ethan Cox, Our New Director of Strategic Growth
Starting as a dream by founders Dick and Jean Wilson, Tohono Chul was envisioned as a place to connect with nature, art, and culture. That ardor has once again been […]
Butterflies, an interview with Andy Hogan
Stephen Spikes, our Interpretive Programs Manager, sat down with Tohono Chul docent and butterfly enthusiast, Andy Hogan to talk about our butterfly census. Butterfly counts in the summer and fall […]
A Note from Jamie Maslyn Larson, Tohono Chul’s New Executive Director
Dear Tohono Chul Family, It has been just three short weeks since I started my position as Executive Director of Tohono Chul, and I am buzzing with excitement! There is […]
Weaving a Tale of Culture
On a crisp morning, a tapestry of color appears as the rugs are lovingly placed one by one on display. Visitors to Tohono Chul stop to admire the beautiful hand-made […]
Welcome Jamie Maslyn Larson, Our New Executive Director!
Dear Tohono Chul Family, We are excited to announce that Jamie Maslyn Larson will take the lead as our new executive director starting February 1! Selected after a 5-month national […]
Executive Update For You from Christine Conte
Dear Tohono Chul Family, As we celebrate this holiday season and look forward to welcoming in the New Year, it is a special joy to write to you about so […]
Monsoon Aftermath
What a phenomenal monsoon season it has been! As of September 1, 2021 Tucson has received 12.08 inches of rain – that’s more than six inches above our average monsoon […]
Executive Update For You from Christine Conte
Dear Tohono Chul Family, Hasn’t this monsoon season been WONDERFUL?! I cannot think of a more welcome gift, after a refreshing family vacation, than to return to billowing thunderclouds and […]
How To Process Prickly Pear Fruit
It’s almost that time of year when the prickly pear fruit ripens and it’s time to harvest! Learn how to process the fruit in the video below featuring our Interpretive […]
Executive Update For You from Christine Conte
Dear Tohono Chul Family, So much about this past year has been unsettling. Last year at this time I was writing to you during the height of the pandemic. Tohono […]
The Bees Are On the Move
Honey bees would usually be a boon for any garden. Bees provide an essential environmental service – pollination. They visit flower after flower collecting pollen grains and slurping up nectar. […]
Bloom Watch #4 – On The Move
Please note Bloom Night this year is a MEMBERS ONLY event and has new hours from 6 to 10 p.m. The morning after Bloom Night (TBD) is also available only […]
Executive Update For You from Christine Conte
Dear Tohono Chul Family, New joy in the gardens today! Your smiling faces! Now as the public health safety allows, and for those fully vaccinated and who are comfortable shedding […]
Executive Update For You from Christine Conte
Dear Tohono Chul Family, What a pleasure to be writing to you from my favorite, sunny bench here at Tohono Chul on this glorious spring morning as the pandemic is […]
Executive Update For You from Christine Conte
Dear Tohono Chul Family, Some Valentine’s gifts are meant to be shared. This glorious one is shared with you—our family of donors, board members, members, volunteers, and friends—because it truly […]
Executive Update For You from Christine Conte
Dear Tohono Chul Family, Writing to you on this misty January morning, I’m thinking of the sunny spring days to come when the pandemic may finally ease, wildflowers will burst […]
Jo Falls, Tohono Chul Director of Education, Retires After Thirty-Four Years of Dedication and Service
You can’t know Tohono Chul without knowing Jo Falls. She has been at Tohono Chul since its very beginning thirty-four years ago, and she is as much an institution as […]
Executive Update For You from Christine Conte
Dear Tohono Chul Family, As the Winter Solstice and the year’s longest night draws near, I hope you are finding comfort in the promise of a brighter New Year. At […]
Executive Update For You from Christine Conte
Dear Tohono Chul Family, In case you haven’t guessed, Tohono Chul family, my Mission is to bring you Good News. Not good news dressed in unrealistic optimism. Or good news […]
Executive Update For You from Christine Conte
Dear Tohono Chul Family, Maybe you know the old maxim, “There is no good news that comes without a challenge attached.” If you don’t know it, that’s probably because I […]
Executive Update For You from Christine Conte
Dear Tohono Chul Family, Something to look forward to. Something to be thankful for. Both may seem scarce these days. But in these letters to you, written under less-than-ideal circumstances, […]
Executive Update For You from Christine Conte
Dear Tohono Chul Family, In the few weeks since my last letter, our local and our statewide situation has once again shifted dramatically. Not only have the monsoon rains unfurled […]
Executive Update For You from Christine Conte
Dear Tohono Chul Family, In the short two weeks since my last letter, our local (and statewide) situation has shifted dramatically… The life-threatening wildfire fire on the mountain has now […]
Executive Update For You from Christine Conte
Dear Tohono Chul Family, I hope that in these turbulent times you are well and finding comfort with those you love. Since I last wrote, a short two weeks ago, […]
Executive Update For You from Christine Conte
Dear Tohono Chul Family, I truly hope this finds you well and caring gently for yourself and your family. It has been 12 weeks since Tohono Chul closed to ensure […]
Thank You Lee Mason, For 20 Years of Dedication and Service
Lee Mason has retired after more than 20 years leading gardens, plant propagation and facilities maintenance. In his time at Tohono Chul, Lee has been the moving force behind our millennial master plan […]
Executive Update For You from Christine Conte
Dear Tohono Chul Family, Every challenge presents an opportunity to learn and grow. And nothing in Tohono Chul’s 35-year history has put that maxim to the test like this current […]
Executive Update For You from Christine Conte
Dear Tohono Chul Family, Are you ready for some good news? A glimmer of hope that we will not only endure this tragic pandemic together, but emerge even stronger? Here are […]
Executive Update For You from Christine Conte
Dear Tohono Chul Family, In this distressing time, I wish I could bring you news about when the COVID-19 crisis will end and when you will all be welcomed back […]
Executive Update For You from Christine Conte
Dear Tohono Chul Family, Thank you for your understanding, kindness and devotion in these unimaginable times. Your outpouring of love and support has been absolutely overwhelming. You will be hearing […]
A Letter from the Executive Director
Dear Family, It is heartbreaking to be writing to you about how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting our beloved Tohono Chul. But because you are family, we must be open, honest and supportive […]
Important, Please Read – updated March 17
Dear Tohono Chul Family and Friends, For your health and safety and for that of staff, volunteers and the general public all of Tohono Chul is closed starting Tuesday, March […]
Jo Falls Receives Roger Lidman Distinguished Service Award
James Schaub, Curator of Exhibitions, nominated Jo Falls for the Roger Lidman Distinguished Service Award at the Museum Association of Arizona’s Annual Conference on March 18, 2019. The esteemed award […]
Lucy’s Warbler Nestbox Project
We are very lucky to be living in the center of Lucy’s Warblers’ breeding range. These tiny, shy, gray birds are the only cavity-nesting warblers in Arizona and the only […]
Tohono Chul Wins an Environmental Excellence Award from Arizona Forward
The Arizona Forward Environmental Excellence Awards program recognizes outstanding contributions to the built and natural environment of communities throughout Arizona and just recently Tohono Chul was added to its list […]
Desert Lavender – A Native Plant Knockout
Some people are always looking for low-water-use native plants that attract hummingbirds or butterflies; others search for plants to help with the declining bee populations. So when a water-thrifty native […]
Create Butterfly Magic in Your Yard
Traveling east of Tucson on I-10 there are a lot of expansive views of mountains and valleys that make up part of the basin and range district of Southern Arizona, […]
Coyote Gourd – A Handsome Groundcover
Three weeks after the onset of the summer rains, in a wash southeast of the Huachuca mountains, the coyote gourds grow. Mexico is less than two miles away. The air […]
Creosote – The Aroma of Rain
Creosote Bush aka Greasewood Larrea tridentata The wonderful experience of a storm in the desert includes the stark beauty of valleys and mountains, diamond raindrops, intense rainbows, wind and an […]
August Means Arizona Poppies
One does not normally think of the desert blooming in the summertime, since most of the showy annuals we are familiar with appear in the spring. However, the Arizona Poppy […]
Devil’s Claw or the Unicorn Plant
During the summer rainy period rather large, succulent, sticky plants are found along the floodplains and channels of arroyos throughout the Sonoran Desert. These plants have a long history of […]
The Velvet Mesquite
Consider the mesquite tree. Mesquites are not merely trees; they create a whole ecosystem. Grubs nibble at their roots. Borers live inside the trunk, and if visible, their pathways would […]