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Experience the Desert’s Spring Bloom. Book Your Visit Now!

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Our founder, Colonel William Boyce Thompson realized nearly one hundred years ago what we still believe today: All life depends on plants.

As Boyce Thompson Arboretum celebrates its milestone anniversary in 2024, we are actively engaging in a full range of programs and initiatives that honor 100 years of our history while embracing a new vision for our future.

Our Centennial Celebrations will include:

Then & Now History Installation

Green Gala

Legacy Tour

Spiny Splendor: Hedgehog Cactus Art Exhibit

Founder’s Celebration

Sustainability Programming

Thank you to our sponsors.

Then & Now

Step into the past and embrace the present with our new exhibition: Then & Now

Historical photos are placed throughout the Arboretum at key locations, allowing guests to view “then and now.”

October 22, 2023 – October 2024

Green Gala

Join us in celebrating 100 years of our Past, Present, and Future as we strive to create a more sustainable Arboretum.

Save the Date! October 19, 2024

Legacy Tour

This docent led tour will highlight the history of Boyce Thompson Arboretum and the realization of Colonel Thompson’s vision by way of key contributors throughout the decades.

January 2024 – April 2024

Spiny Splendor

This larger than life art exhibit showcases the hedgehog cactus (Echinocereus fasciculatus var. boyce-thompsonii), which was named after Colonel William Boyce Thompson and was founded within the vicinity of the arboretum.

The following presents the name of each sculpture on display and the respective local artist who decorated it:

Belleza en el Mismo Brillo Natural by Oliverio Balcells
Bold Desert Beauty by Keegan Rider
Desert Love by Maria Madrid Reed
Dusk till Dawn, Dawn till Dusk by Jo Ho
Entwined Ecosystem: Bugs and Blooms on the Cactus Canvas by Emily Costello
Espinas Galácticas by Joe Ray
Flowering Faces in the Desert by Zarco Guerrero
Invasive Species by Monique Laraway
Mirage by Andrea Peterson
Welcome To The Neighborhood by Charles Davison

Founder’s Celebration

We will be hosting a special celebration in honor of Colonel Thompson.

Join us as we celebrate the founder of Boyce Thompson Arboretum and the memories that the arboretum has provided for us all.

March 24, 2024

Sustainability Programming

Boyce Thompson Arboretum will be hosting and collaborating on sustainability educational programs.

June 2024 – September 2024

Signature Sponsor

Resolution Copper

Presenting Sponsor

BHP

Supporting Sponsors

APS

Arizona Water Company

Shelly and Timm Esque

HonorHealth Foundation

Joseph and Gail Giacobazzi

SRP

Additional Sponsors

  • AES Clean Energy
  • Allan Dustan and Linda Stoll
  • American Family Insurance | Matthew Storms, Agent
  • Anne and Jay Schrock
  • ASU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Global Futures Laboratory
  • Atlas Technical
  • Carlotta Copper Company
  • Carol and Trevor Parrott
  • Charlotte and Raymond Needham
  • David White
  • Dr. Bobbi Lancaster and Lucy Lancaster
  • Esque Family Fund
  • Gary and Jan Septon
  • Gema Luna and Jose Duarte
  • Grant and Carolyn Baecker
  • Imre and Lorna Kertész
  • Jane Schoen
  • Jay and Delana Ream
  • Jeffrey Heimer and Linda Brock
  • Jim and Kally Reynolds
  • Kenro Kusumi and Stephen Pratt
  • Kent and Muriel Ennis
  • Lenni Benson
  • The Lester Family
  • Lynne Nemeth and Lanny Morrison
  • Marisol Perez and Alex La mar
  • Nancy Mackay and Jim Mackay
  • Northern Trust
  • Pinal County
  • Rachel Trinder
  • Randie and Lee Stein
  • Rick and Lexia Gibson
  • Robert Kader
  • Sally Kirsh
  • Sharon Hall
  • Thomas Fisher
  • Vicki Bever and Cipriana Trillo
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