"Tucson, treasure in the Sonoran ..." a Tucson Travel Page by pchamlis

The city of Tucson has much to offer. There's art, history and very friendly residents. There are the academic and sports endeavors of the University of Arizona.

But, for my page on Tucson, I prefer to concentrate on the lovely desert surroundings.

A famous florist's slogan used to be "say it with flowers". If that's the way to go, then the Sonoran desert sings like a heavenly choir, with color and biodiversity that will both astound and please.

These lovely prickly pear cacti pack a wallop in two ways. The first one is apparent, should you get too close, especially your skin unprotected.

But, the lovely spring blossoms produced by the plant are also impressive and impacting.

One of the best attractions near Tucson is the Arizona-Sonora desert museum. This interesting place has numerouse examples of desert plant and animal life, as well as exhibits on the history and ecology of the desert environment.

I'm sure some botanist can tell me exactly what plant family is represented by the lovely blooms in my picture. But, you don't have to be Gregor Mendel to enjoy the pulchritude of the multicolored blooms.