“The Earth Laughs in Flowers” – Ralph Waldo Emerson Wildflower Presentation with Pinau Merlin

Sold out! Email khayes@tohonochul.org if you would like to be added to the waitlist.

In special springs, when the winter rains have been generous, nature throws an exuberant party with wildflowers as the guests of honor! Flocks of flowers dance across the desert, displaying their beauty and charms for all. This spring shows all the signs of being a banner wildflower year with a not-to-miss spectacular show! To prepare for our wildflower ed-ventures and to fully experience the beauty and wonder of our Sonoran Desert flora, we’ll peek deeper into the secret lives of these enchanting wildflowers. We’ll discover how flowers pull out all the stops to lure in pollinators, which favorite and beautiful flower is a parasite, look at diverse germination, pollination strategies, and much more. Even if you’re not planning to take the trip, you’ll leave this talk enthused, excited, and appreciating Arizona’s rich diversity of vegetation!

More about Pinau Merlin:

Pinau is a nationally known speaker and naturalist and is the author of several books (including the Guide to Desert Holes, Guide to Bird Nests and Eggs, and is a contributing author to the Natural History of the Sonoran Desert) as well as over 80 articles about the wildlife, natural history, and ecology of the Desert Southwest. Pinau taught natural history at the U of A and was the Outreach Coordinator for the UA/USFWS Jaguar Project. She also works on numerous nature documentary films (including BBC, National Geographic, and others) as a natural history consultant and critter wrangler.

Pinau has designed natural history centers, interpretive exhibits, nature trails, and wildlife habitats for a variety of organizations in the Southwest. Her insights and observations about the natural history and wildlife of the Sonoran Desert have been featured on PBS, NPR, and in Smithsonian and National Wildlife magazines, among many others. She is especially interested in the adaptive strategies of plants, birds, and wildlife and in interpreting animal language.