You can play an essential role in the conservation and stewardship of desert plants, wildlife, and ecosystems
Support Our Mission
Our mission is to inspire appreciation and stewardship of desert plants, wildlife, and ecosystems through education, research and conservation.
Boyce Thompson Arboretum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, IRS EIN: 88-0061520. Every gift helps and every member matters! If you would like to make a gift in honor or memory of a loved one please refer to the ‘Ways to Give’ section below.
Giving Options
Greatest Needs Fund
Your gift to the Greatest Needs Fund provides the flexible support our mission depends on most. It allows us to respond to the Arboretum’s most urgent needs, care for our collections, and invest in education, research, and conservation. Here your generosity can make the greatest impact.
Propagating the Future
We are committed to preserving rare desert plants and expanding conservation efforts through propagation. The Propagating the Future campaign aims to upgrade facilities, enhance research, and increase access to resilient plants that support thriving desert ecosystems.
Water Wise Arboretum
The Water Wise Campaign has strengthened our approach to water conservation and climate resilience. Your support helps sustain these critical improvements through ongoing maintenance, innovation, and sustainable stewardship practices.
Living Collections Fund
Support the dedicated horticulture experts and the plants they care for every day, including three nationally accredited plant collections. Your gift provides the people, tools, supplies, and resources needed to keep the Arboretum’s living collections healthy, vibrant, and thriving while preserving the beauty and biodiversity of our gardens for generations to come.
Educational Initiatives
Your gift supports educational experiences that connect people of all ages with the arid-adapted ecosystems from around the world; from student field trips and STEM learning to guided tours, workshops, our docents, and community programs. Together, we inspire discovery and nurture lifelong stewards of nature.
Desert Legume Program (DELEP)
Your gift supports the Desert Legume Program’s mission to conserve, research, and share the diversity of desert legumes through seed banking, scientific study, and preservation efforts. By protecting valuable plant genetics and advancing knowledge of these resilient species, your support helps safeguard desert biodiversity and promote sustainable solutions for arid environments worldwide.
Desert Resilience Fund
Your support strengthens the Arboretum’s ability to prepare for and respond to the challenges of a changing desert environment, including wildfire risk, extreme heat, water conservation needs, and storm impacts. Your gift helps protect our living collections, infrastructure, and community.
Historic Preservation Fund
Boyce Thompson Arboretum is a treasured historic site where more than a century of conservation, horticulture, and education has shaped a lasting connection to desert plants and ecosystems from around the world. Your gift supports the preservation and care of our historic buildings, landscapes, and cultural resources, ensuring this special place continues to inspire visitors while honoring its rich legacy.
Join the Desert Willow Legacy Society
By including Boyce Thompson Arboretum in your estate plans, you become a member of the Desert Willow Legacy Society, a special community of supporters dedicated to preserving the Arboretum for future generations.
Vision. Growth. Legacy. YOU can shape the future
Other Ways to Give
Green Gala
An unforgettable evening of breathtaking desert views, dinner under the stars, and immersive learning experiences, all while supporting the Arboretum’s mission.
Sustaining Garden Donor Program
Help the Arboretum grow and develop by becoming a monthly Sustaining Garden Donor.
Memorials & Tributes
Commemorate a loved one or important life events with a unique addition to our garden. To learn more, please contact a member of our development team at [email protected].
Amazon Wish List
We are always in need of new supplies to keep our garden growing. Sending us an item from our wish list is an easy and effective way to support our mission!
Questions? We’d love to hear from you!
Connect with our Development team at 520-689-4716 or [email protected].
#1Arb
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Ever wondered how Society Garlic got its name?
Since this plant isn`t a true garlic, eating it won`t leave you stinky garlic breath! This made it more acceptable to eat in society.
Interested in growing one of your own? We often have them at our gift shop! Pick up a plant during your next visit and enjoy eating them in society guilt-free 😉
#aznature #plantlovers #plantfacts #natureeducation #societygarlic #GarlicSubstitute
Do you remember our Chicken of the woods post a few weeks back? Look how much it`s grown! 🍄🟫
So... how do mushrooms grow? Unlike plants, they don`t use photosynthesis to get energy. Instead, they absorb nutrients from organic material around them. Because of this, they`re not categorized as a plant OR animal. They are their own special category. Fungi really are something to marvel at.
#arizonamushrooms #chickenofthewoods #laetiporus #eucalyptustree #mushroomfacts #fungilovers
On this Labor Day, we express gratitude for all who labor to protect our environment.
🌹To gardeners everywhere who grow and nurture plants.
🌳To conservationists who work tirelessly to preserve native wildlife, plants, and habitats.
📖To our educators who are nurturing a lifelong love and appreciation of nature in the next generation.
Thank you. We hope you take some time to rest and celebrate your impact this weekend, you deserve it.
#laborday2026 #laborappreciation #aznature #desertlife #plantlovers #natureeducation
We are looking for enthusiastic individuals that love to educate youth and explore the outdoors! Please join us as a volunteer field trip guide in our mission to inspire an appreciation of arid climate plants and wildlife.
Our field trip program welcomes school aged kids K-12 to participate in inquiry-based learning adventures. Field trips operate October-April on weekdays. No teaching experience needed! We provide training and shadowing opportunities to learn.
If you are new to volunteering with us, please apply at: https://www.volgistics.com/appform/101413720 Send us a message if you have any questions!
Training Dates:
▶ Session 1: September 16th and 18th | 9:00 am- 11:30 am | Smith Lecture Room
OR
▶ Session 2: September 30th and October 2nd | 9:00 am-11:30 am | Smith Lecture Room
#volunteersneeded #educationvolunteer #boycethompsonarboretum #natureeducation #STEAMeducation
It`s International Vulture Awareness Day! Our ecosystem would be significantly less clean without them, so we really owe Vultures a lot of appreciation! Here`s some fun facts you may not know:
🪶We have two species in Arizona: Black Vultures and Turkey Vultures. Both can be found at Boyce Thompson Arboretum!
🪶Their stomach acid is so strong, it can process anthrax and botulism.
🪶They can smell food up to 1 mile away.
🪶 Groups of vultures have different names depending on what they`re doing: when they`re flying in a circle they are a "kettle", if they`re eating they`re a "wake", and when they`re perched, they`re a "committee", "venue", or "volt."
What`s your favorite fact about vultures? Let us know in the comments! 👇
#vultureappreciationday #turkeyvultures #vulturelovers #birdlovers #arizonabirds #birdfacts
There`s just two more months until Boyce Thompson Arboretum`s Green Gala! 🌿Have you got your ticket yet?
Support the Arboretum by enjoying fine dining, entertainment, and education under the desert sky. Your generosity is what makes this celebration possible and advances our mission to inspire, educate, and conserve. We hope to see you there!
🗓️Saturday, November 7, 2026
🕛4:00-8:00pm
📍Hill House Property
38815 E Arboretum Way
Superior, AZ 85713
Visit the link in our bio to get tickets today!
#greengala #btarboretum #supportgardens #naturelovers #arizonanature
Back in March, our team rescued cacti from a construction site in El Paso, Texas. 🌵Now, just a few months later, the relocated Echinocactus horizonthalonius are in full bloom. We hope you enjoy the sight of these vibrant, pink flowers just as much as we do!
#rescuedplants #endangeredplants #echinocactushorizonthalonius #cactusbloom #desertbloom #naturelovers #cactusrescue
Even in September, cacti are blooming! No matter what time of year you visit the Arboretum, there will always be something new to see.
The Ferocactus wislizeni, also known as Fishhook Barrel Cactus, grows best in soil with good drainage with access to plenty of sunlight. It`s a low maintenance plant, perfect for gardeners of any level! If you keep it happy and healthy, you`ll get to enjoy its vibrant blooms.
#fishhookbarrelcactus #ferocactus #barrelcactus #desertplants #desertgardens #cactusblooms