ARIZONA - Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix

Thanks to Patrick for the card.

"Desert Botanical Garden in Papago Park in Central Phoenix is not only a botanical garden, but it is also classified as a museum by the American Association of Museums. The garden covers about 50 acres, and in addition to the vast array of native plants on display, the garden is home to over 21,000 plants representing 3,931 plant classifications in 139 plant families." Source

USA - Desert in Bloom, Arizona

The card read: Desert in Bloom. One distinguishing characteristic of deserts is extreme contrasts.  For example, the stark contrast between sun and shadow is dramatically different from the softer light of humid lands.  It seems contradictory that a landscape that is most famous for its parched and barren character could also be famous for spectacular displays of  wildflowers.

Thanks to Lisa for the card.

USA - San Xavier Del Bac Mission, Tucson

 Thanks to Patrick for the card.

USA- Papago Park, Phoenix

Papago Park is notable for its many distinctive geological formation and its wide variety of typical desert plants, including the giant saguaro cactus.  The park also features the Dessert Botanic Garden, the Phoenix Zoo, picnic ares, several small lakes, hiking trails and bicycle paths.  

Thanks to Jennifer for the great card.

USA - Grand Canyon National Park

Thanks to Tynesha for the card.

"Grand Canyon National Park is the 15th site in the United States to have been named a national park. Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, the park is located in northwestern Arizona. The park's central feature is the Grand Canyon, a gorge of the Colorado River, which is often considered one of the Wonders of the World. The park, which covers 1,217,262 acres (1,901.972 sq mi; 492,608 ha; 4,926.08 km2) of unincorporated area in Coconino and Mohave counties, received nearly six million recreational visitors in 2016, which is the second highest count of all U.S. national parks after Great Smoky Mountains National Park."

ARIZONA - Grand Canyon

"The Grand Canyon, is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the state of Arizona in the United States. It is contained within and managed by Grand Canyon National Park, the Hualapai Tribal Nation, the Havasupai Tribe and the Navajo Nation. President Theodore Roosevelt was a major proponent of preservation of the Grand Canyon area, and visited it on numerous occasions to hunt and enjoy the scenery. The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide and attains a depth of over a mile (6,000 feet or 1,800 meters)"