The Tucson chapter holds meetings between September and May each year, with a summer break. We meet on the second Thursday of each month at 7:00 pm. We hold “hybrid” meetings, where we meet both in person and also on Zoom. The live meetings will be in the ENR2 (Environment and Natural Resources 2) building at the University of Arizona, located on 6th street near Park. We meet in Room S215. Parking is available in the 6th St parking garage adjacent to ENR2. A credit card is required to pay for garage parking. If you are not on our mailing list and wish to attend one of our meetings on Zoom, email us at NativePlantsTucson@gmail.com to request the Zoom link. Videos of past meetings can be found on our YouTube channel.
January 9, 2025, at 7:00 pm. Wendy Hodgson from the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix will talk about “Yuccas and their Moths.”
JOIN OUR CHAPTER E-LIST
Join Our Chapter E-list: If you would like to receive announcements about field trips and meetings via e-mail, send a note to the Tucson Chapter email to be added to the list. Stay informed by joining us on Facebook.
Usually, the most up-to-date information about upcoming chapter events can be found on our Facebook page.
Caring for agave and baby cacti? Consider volunteer opportunities at the Pima County Native Plant Nursery! Located at 5845 N. Camino de la Tierra, the Pima County Native Plant Nursery grows native plants for public projects and is looking for volunteers to help with weeding, watering and propagation. The nursery is open Monday to Friday 7:00am to 3:30 pm. Email Amy for available times/days and details. Plant salvage at Cortaro Farms from Camino Del Oeste to Thornydate prior to road improvement project.
Chapter News
November 2024 Chapter Meeting
Posted on Nov 03, 2024
Re-hydrating and Re-enlivening Our Communities with Rain-watered Neighborhood Food Forestry
Presented by Brad Lancaster
Thursday, November 14, 2024
Live at 7:00 pm or on zoom
U of A campus, Environment and Natural Resources Building (ENR2), Room S255 — 1064 E. Lowell Street, Tucson AZ
This presentation is about neighborhood forestry efforts empowering citizens, and contractors, to effectively plant the rain and native food-bearing vegetation to grow vibrant and resilient abundance where they live, work, and play. Then train them up and support them with the education, guidance, collaborations, and policy that enable them to better steward the plantings for decades to come. Dramatic results include cooler neighborhoods, healthier eating, a revitalization of indigenous cuisine, deeper connections with people and place, reduced flooding, skill building, greater soil fertility, and more beauty and joy. The strategies and practices are accessible to all and most are free or cost no more than the price of a shovel. View these strategies in practice at: https://dunbarspringneighborhoodforesters.org/
Presenter: Brad Lancaster
Brad Lancaster is the author of the award-winning book Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond and co-founder of Neighborhood Foresters. Since 1993 Brad has run a successful permaculture education, design, and consultation business focused on integrated regenerative approaches to landscape design, planning, and living. In the Sonoran Desert, with just 11 inches (280 mmm) of average annual rainfall, he and his brother’s family harvest about 100,000 gallons (378,000 liters) of rainwater a year on an eighth-acre (0.05 ha) urban lot and adjoining right-of-way. This harvested water is then turned into living air conditioners of food-bearing shade trees, abundant gardens, and a thriving landscape incorporating wildlife habitat, beauty, medicinal plants, and more. The goal of his work is to empower his clients and community to make positive change in their own lives andneighborhoods—by harvesting and enhancing free on-site resources such as water, sun, wind, shade, community, and more.
An Introduction to the History, Geology, Flora, and Fauna of theDragoon Mountains, Cochise County:
Posted on Sep 03, 2024
Thursday, October 10, 7:00 PM: Douglas Ripley, President, Arizona Native Plant Society.
One of the “Lesser Sky Islands” of southeastern Arizona, the Dragoon Mountains possess an incredible history, geology, flora, and fauna. Since retiring to Cochise County in 2008, Doug Ripley and his good friend, well-known Arizona botanist Jim Verrier, have been studying the Dragoon Mountains with a goal of compiling a floristic catalogue and eventually publishing a comprehensive flora of the area. In this talk, Doug will present an introduction to the mountains by summarizing the work he and Jim have accomplished to date using photos taken and data collected during their field work. Location: The ENR2 Building, University of Arizona
Late SummerField Trips, Workshops and Mixers
Posted on Aug 14, 2023
We have a number of excellent field trip offerings at this time for AZNPS members. Contact emails are not the same for all trips, so pay attention to the email address inserted in each trip announcement.
Don’t forget our Monsoon Mixer and Plant Swap on Friday, August 18th at the MSA Annex on 267 South Avenida Del Convento
A Morning Stroll in a Happily Recovering Desert at the Waterman Restoration Site
Directions : Turn west at I-10 Avra Valley Road exit 242
Drive west exactly 19.5 miles
Turn left immediately after the HOLCIM sign
Drive straight ahead 1 mile, bearing left all the way
Meet at the first turn-out
The Waterman Restoration site on Ironwood Forest National monument is now in full desert recovery with over 110 native plant species and a gradually increasing number of insects, birds, small mammals, reptiles and even visits of desert sheep. In the mid-2000s this same site was known as the “Mother of all Buffelgrass Patches.” After generous recent rains, the desert is now coming alive. Perennial plants are leafing out and new plants are emerging underfoot. We will stroll through a desert in various stages of restoration, walking among mid-size and newly emerging desert trees, ocotillos, and bushes; learning how to identify them in different phases. We will learn about many overlooked plants that are powerful restoration agents and soil builders. We will see plant succession in action among trees and shrubs. We will also see how simple water harvesting techniques have brought life-giving moisture to the landscape and healed areas that had been bare and apparently “sterile.” Best of all, we will discover new things from participants who happen to see something unexpected or who have knowledge or observations to share with the group. This will be an opportunity to enjoy the desert together and learn from one another!
Roadside Grasses, including the newly discovered roadside Trailing Grama
Sunday 20 August
8am to 10am
Meet on the north side of the Trader Joe’s Parking area on the SE corner of Magee/Oracle
Roadsides are unlikely but surprising places to find dozens of native (and non-native) grasses. Join John Scheuring on a driving grass tour of roadside basins briming with various grass species. This will be a great way to learn our common grasses by seeing them side-by-side in bloom. We will also see Trailing Grama Grass (Bouteloua diversispicula), the newly discovered roadside species common in Sonora that had only been previously found in Arizona in one remote area of Ironwood Forest. We will not park or walk on busy roadways but bring a reflective vest if you have one.
Lower Carrie Nation Trail Plant & Nature Walk
Madera Canyon
Saturday, August 268:00 am- 1:00 pm
Leader: Doug Moore. Friends of Madera Canyon Naturalist
Limit: 10 participants; AZNPS members only
on the Wrightson loop drive)RSVP totucsonaznpstrips@gmail.comMeet at Mt. Wrightson Picnic Area: 3rd upper right-side parking lot (with 1st restroomon the Wrightson loop drive)
Morning plant/nature walk on the beautiful lower Carrie Nation Trail, hiking up to & just above the “big rock” at the 2nd stream crossing seeking wildflowers, plants, birds, butterflies, & more We will watch for Elegant Trogon, Chiricahua Mountain Larkspur, Charles Mason’s Ragwort, Huachuca Mountain Addersmouth, Orchids, & other monsoon specialties along the trail.
Description: Approx. 1.75 miles roundtrip; moderate to difficult hiking on uneven, rocky ground w/ steady elevation gain & a stream crossing. The trail is mostly shaded, but the weather may be warm. Must be able to hike/stand for several hours & negotiate long downhill returning to parking area. Participants need to be in good physical shape & health for this activity!
Bring: water, good hiking shoes or boots, walking stick/poles, binoculars, sunscreen, sun hat & trail snacks for stop at the top. Optional: hand-held camera. Note: May need to return to parking lot immediately in the event of thunderstorm & lightening.
Sabino Canyon Herp and Plant Trip
Sunday, August 20th, 6pm-8pm
Meet at the Sabino Canyon Visitors Center
RSVP to nativeplantstucson@gmail.comJoin Tucson Herpetological Society President Robert Villa and AZNPS Tucson Chapter President Jack Dash on a natural history walk in Sabino Canyon. We will be looking out for reptiles, amphibians, plants, and whatever else we happen across. This trip is open to members of THS and AZNPS and is free (however Sabino Canyon does charge an $8 parking fee). Despite our lack of reliable rainfall this summer Sabino Canyon should hold some interesting species for us to discuss. We will be hiking in the evening so flashlights/blacklights are encouraged for the walk back to the parking lot. Remember to bring plenty of water.
Late Summer in the Chiricahua Mountains
September 16, 17, and 18, 2023
Southwestern Research Station, Portal, Cochise CountyQuestions or More Information: Please contact Doug Ripley at jdougripley@gmail.com
The Cochise and Tucson Chapters of the Arizona Native Plant Society are again sponsoring a long weekend in the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Cochise County.
These richly diverse mountains are one the northern-most islands in the Madrean Archipelago that encompasses parts of Arizona, New Mexico , Sonora, and Chihuahua. Come enjoy this weekend with us. Whatever the weather, there will be botanical treats and great company.
Accommodations, including meals, will be provided by the Southwestern Research Station.
