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And the arboretum displays the best of fall. Many trees have been there since the facility was founded in the 1920s.
�When the Chinese pistachio drop their leaves, you�re literally walking on a carpet of gold,� Oberpriller says.
His tour is only one of several fall events at the arboretum that seek to immerse visitors in the splendor of the trees and sneak in a little knowledge, too.
Jim Burns, a longtime birdwatcher who has frequented the arboretum since 1984, looks forward to fall, but not for the color.
�For us, it is strictly the birds,� he says.
For several years, the arboretum has hosted a rufous-backed robin in the winter. The berry bushes attract this Mexican vagrant. The winter fruit brings in avian treats as well, attracting large numbers of hermit thrushes, red-shafted flickers and spotted towhees.
Director Mark Bierner is delighted that visitors are attracted, for whatever reason.
�Anything to turn people on to the potential of plants,� he says. �There�s always something.�
Look for: Plants with yellow to golden or copper tones.
Plants: Honey locust, pomegranate, soapberry, canyon hackberry, Arizona sycamore
Look for: Plants with orange to red leaves.
Plants: Chinese pistachio, ranging in color from orane and yellow to deep crimson and lemonade berry, also called the skunk bush.
Look for: Plants with red leaves.
Plants: Combredum trees, which display peak color in late December but stay beautiful for several months, as they don't drop their leaves.
Look for: Fruit-bearing trees, which ripen throughout the fall and attract birds such as the northern cardinal, spotted towhee and phainopepla, as well as small mammals.
Plants: Jujube, native ash, black walnut, willow, cottonwood and pyracantha.