 Arizona
State Parks Volunteer David Oberpriller has been visiting for more
than a decade, and has amassed a fine collection of images. Most are
35 millimeter, but this past year Dave invested in a digital camera
and is recording macros like this one, as well as Arboretum wildlife,
events and other scenery.
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visitors such as Dave and his family are sometimes rewarded with a glimpse
of furtive animals such as the Gila Monster (heloderma suspectum)
which may be observed during summer months.
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how about this image for a different interplay of color? The insects
covering this pomegranate fruit (punica granatum) offer
a vibrant contrast of orange and red colors. Pomegranates are among
dozens of plants you'll find at Boyce Thompson Arboretum which are referenced
in scriptural passages. Dave has devoted much of the past five years
to studying plants of the Bible, and offers guided tours on that very
subject.
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addition to leading guided tours, Arboretum volunteers prune trailside
brush, help plant cacti and succulents in the desert collections, assist
in the bookstore and perform a wide range of other jobs here. Dave Oberpriller
spent one Saturday morning each month
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 working
in our production greenhouses, transplanting seedlings and helping propagate
various plants which are sold in the visitor center or during our annual
Fall and Spring Plant Sales. Dave's wife and daughter volunteer as well;
greeting arrivals at the Hospitality Table out front of our Visitor
Center, creating databases of plants in our collections, and assisting
with an ongoing study of Arboretum publicity in Arizona media.
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