Haven't done much cooking or baking recently because I've been away in Arizona. Had a great time visiting with my older sister. One of the places we found was in the small town of Gilbert, AZ. When the time came for them to treat their water and then recycle it, they decided to create a public park, The Riparian Reserve at Water Ranch. It's a popular place for people and people with dogs and people fishing. We saw couples using it for things like engagement photos and prom photos. On Sunday some folks arrived with large floating balloons that gave the year of the birthday adult they were celebrating...27th I believe. We enjoyed it so much that we went back another time.
Most of the acreage is given over to huge, shallow ponds that are rimmed with reeds and all sorts of plantings,
including these beautiful orange mallow, and fuschia flowered cactus.
There are winding paths between the ponds which are either bark or gravel covered or paved. They have added lots of signs with photos to help you identify the many birds and other wildlife. We saw many ducks, geese, loons, both great blue and smaller white heron, plus plenty of perching birds like red-wing blackbirds. The whole time we were walking there was bird song where ever we went! One of the ponds was shallow enough for wading birds that I usually see at the shoreline of the ocean.
There is also a botanical garden of desert plants including these armed cactus and cheerful yellow flowers that I don't know the name of.
If you ever get to Gilbert, I highly recommend taking a while to walk around a pond or two. You'll be glad you did.
Preserve Address
2757 E. Guadalupe RdGilbert, AZ 85234
Preserve Hours
5:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Trails open dawn to dusk
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