Nothing quite says “desert oasis” like a cluster of slender palm trees. They’re found all over the southwest, lining the highway, parks and found in many of our backyards. The iconic trees are tall and majestic, not even bending with the wind. Though palms are a seeming eternal installation from Phoenix to Los Angeles, the ...

A special thank you to all of the new and loyal readers of Arizona Oddities. This has been another exciting year in Arizona, and we look forward to 2017. Looking back, here’s an overview of our most popular posts this year. How to Keep Scorpions Away from Your Home – There are about 35 species ...

A special thank you to all of the new and loyal readers of Arizona Oddities. 2015 has been another exciting year in Arizona, and we look forward to 2016. Looking back, here’s an overview of our most popular posts this year.

Most of the drivers rushing up and down the 101 are unaware of the desert oasis that’s blooming just northeast of Thomas Road in Scottsdale. A line of unassuming trees block the traffic from a lush and surprisingly quiet farm full of organic fruits and veges.

A special thank you to all of the new and loyal readers of Arizona Oddities. 2014 has been another exciting year in Arizona, and we look forward to 2015. Looking back, here’s an overview of our most popular posts this year. Lots of wildlife and nature lovers out there!

In the case of the century plant, it’s name is actually misnomer. Contrary to popular belief, a century plant does not bloom every 100 years. Part of the agave family, a century plant typically lives 10 to 30 years, flowering only once at the end of its life. Other interesting facts include:

DATELAND -- It turns out that there is a definite connection between royalty and date milk shakes. Milk shake consumers from around the world make that discovery when they visit the Dateland Travel Centers, one of the few stop-offs between Gila Bend and Yuma.

People who have nightmares about being chased by giant parsnips should avoid contact with the boojum trees. Fortunately, boojums are quite rare and do not move over the landscape to frighten humans. Despite that, they are weird. They resemble huge parsnips or green carrots sticking upside down out of the earth.

Q: Being Canadian and never having seen real olive trees, I am delighted to find one on my daughter’s property in Paradise Valley. What do you do with them? I have visions of dancing and crushing them beneath our callused Canadian feet for the first press of a famous new olive oil. A: One day ...

Q: Our neighbor has two carob trees. Every November in the late afternoon or evening, just when I go to relax on my patio, the most horrific odor wafts through the neighborhood. It smells like a laundry bin at the Y. Why? You’re living next door to two carob trees? Oh, man you are sooooo ...