Ethel M Botanical Cactus Garden facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ethel M Botanical Cactus Garden |
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Ethel M Botanical Cactus Garden
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| Type | cactus garden |
| Location | Henderson, Nevada |
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| Closed | |
| Open | No |
The Ethel M Botanical Cactus Garden is a special place to visit in Henderson, Nevada. It's a botanical garden that covers about 3 acres (1.2 hectares). You can find it right next to the Ethel M Chocolate Factory.
Both the garden and the chocolate factory are open to everyone. The best part is, you don't have to pay to get in! It's a great spot for a free family outing.
The garden also has something cool called a "Living Machine." This is a special system that cleans the chocolate factory's dirty water. It uses tiny living things like bacteria, algae, and protozoa. It also uses snails and fish to help clean the water. This amazing system recycles all of the factory's wastewater. It does this without using any harmful chemicals. The clean water is then used to water the plants in the garden. The ponds from this water cleaning system also attract many different birds to the garden.
The Ethel M Botanical Cactus Garden first opened its doors in September 1981. Many people have visited it over the years. The garden hosts fun community events throughout the year. One of the most popular events is the annual cactus garden lighting. This holiday light show happens in November and December. It's also free for everyone to enjoy.
Exploring the Cactus Collection
The garden is home to more than 350 different kinds of cactus and succulent plants. Succulents are plants that store water in their leaves or stems. Over half of these plants grow naturally in the American Southwest. The rest come from places like Australia and South America.
Here are some of the interesting plants you can see in the collection:
- The giant saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) is a very tall cactus.
- Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens) has long, spiny stems.
- Prickly pears and chollas (Opuntia) are common types of cacti.
- The Beavertail Cactus (Opuntia basilaris) has flat, paddle-shaped pads.
- The Teddy Bear Cholla (Opuntia bigelovii) looks soft and fuzzy, but it's very spiny!
- Bishop's Cap Cactus (Astrophytum myriostigma) looks like a bishop's hat.
- Clumping hedgehogs (Echinocereus) grow in groups.
- Compass barrel cactus often leans towards the south.
- Fish Hook Barrels (Echinocactus wislizeni) have strong, hooked spines.
- Red Barrel Cactus (Ferocactus pilosus) has a reddish color.
- Mesquite (Prosopis chilensis) is a type of desert tree.
- Twisted acacia is another tree found in dry areas.
- Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) has beautiful, trumpet-shaped flowers.
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