Symposium: Crop Wild Relatives & Wild Utilized Plants (Denver, CO)
2024-09-19 | Denver, CO
September 19-21, 2024. This symposium will assess progress toward conserving North American crop wild relatives and wild utilized plants.
View the symposium announcement for more information.

Fall Plant Sale at Desert Survivors, Tucson
2024-09-24 08:00 - 2024-09-28 16:00 (America/Phoenix) | 1020 W. Starr Pass Blvd, Tucson AZ 85713
https://www.desertsurvivors.org/plant-sales-events/

Tonto Basin Chapter Meeting: Friday, October 4: Becky Settje. Tools of the Trade
2024-10-04 10:00 - 12:00 | 268 E Stephen’s Way, Tonto Basin, Arizona
Learn about websites and books to help identify Arizona native plants and practice using a hand lens.
Following the presentation, we will use our new skills to identify some native plants in the chapter
president’s garden. Location: 268 E Stephen’s Way, Tonto Basin.

Tucson Chapter Meeting
2024-10-10 19:00 - 20:30 | U of A campus, Environment and Natural Resources Building (ENR2), Room S215
An Introduction to the History, Geology, Flora, and Fauna of the Dragoon Mountains, Cochise County, Arizona. Presented by J. Douglas Ripley
One of the “Lesser Sky Islands” of southern Arizona, the Dragoon Mountains of southeastern Arizona 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 an emphasis on 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 during their field work.
About our speaker:
A native of San Francisco, California, Doug holds BA and MA degrees in biology from San Francisco State University and a PhD degree in plant ecology from Oregon State University. He was commissioned through the Air Force ROTC program and served as an Air Force officer for 22 years with assignments within the US and gloablly. Doug applied his extensive knowledge of botany in managing the Air Force natural and cultural resources conservation programs. Following retirement from active military duty he joined the federal civil service where he continued to be involved with the management of natural resources conservation for other branches of the military. Since retiring from the civil service, he and his wife Arlene have settled in Southeastern Arizona where he volunteers for local environmental organizations such as The Nature Conservancy and the Arizona Native Plant Society where he currently serves as the State President.

Flagstaff Chapter Meeting: National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring
2024-10-15 19:00 | Highgate Senior Living Center at 1831 N Jasper Dr. on McMillan Mesa., 1831 N. Jasper Dr on McMillan Mesa, Flagstaff, Arizona
Don’t miss our last meeting of 2024! Megan Swan, Christopher Calvo, and Hannah Andrascik will be presenting “Taking the Pulse of Vegetation Communities in National Parks on the Colorado Plateau ” .
The Southern Colorado Plateau Network is one of 32 Inventory and Monitoring Networks across the U.S. The National Park Service established these networks to inventory natural resources in parks and track their condition. This information helps park managers to make decisions about the natural resources in their parks. One of the important things we monitor are plant communities, where we have over 17 years worth of data. Come learn about our group, our techniques, and our science, as we explore long-term vegetation trends within our regional habitats.
Megan Swan is a Plant Ecologist who has worked monitoring upland ecosystems for the National Park Service for over 15 years.
Hannah Andrascik is the Upland Vegetation Field Crew Lead and has been with the National Park Service for over 11 years.
Christopher Calvo is a Biologist and Science Communicator and has been doing science in the southwest US for 19 years.
The meetings are now being held at Highgate Senior Living Center at 1831 N Jasper Dr. on McMillan Mesa. Park anywhere in the parking lot or on the street. Buzz to be let in if the door is locked and come upstairs to the second floor. The meeting is the 3rd Tuesday, October 15 at 7 PM.
If attending virtually, register in advance for this meeting at:
https://bit.ly/FlagAZNPS
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Arizona's Magnificent Trees workshop at The Arboretum at Flagstaff
2024-10-19 09:00 - 12:00 | The Flagstaff Arboretum
The Arboretum at Flagstaff is hosting a workshop for Arizona’s Magnificent Tree program on October 19th, from 9:00-12:00. Registration is free, but required.

This program teaches you how to measure large trees to nominate them to be added to the list of the Arizona’s Magnificent Trees. These could be the largest trees in girth or height, but you can also nominate trees that have cultural significance or ones that are proven to be in their same location before Arizona’s Statehood.

Details and registration can be found here:
https://thearb.org/event/arizonas-magnificent-trees-workshop-registration-req/

We had a presentation about this program in June of 2023. You can watch the recording here.
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/3174x8bMXwzQs4XQ/

Grass Identification Class at University of Arizona Herbarium
2024-11-01 09:00 - 15:00
Back by popular demand, the AZ Native Plant Society and the University of Arizona Herbarium will offer a two-day combination lecture and hands-on workshop for students serious about doing grass ID work. The course goals are to impart sufficient knowledge for students to make wise decisions regarding collection of grasses, to provide complete information on grass morphology, and to teach the use of keys for identification of most Arizona species. Handout materials, dissecting scopes, tools, and pressed grass specimens for study will be provided. The first day will be lecture mixed with hands-on work. The second day can be for review if needed or desired and questions, plus working with keys from various references.
Total enrollment for the class is 18 students. Last year the class filled rapidly, and a waiting list was established. This year we will consult the 2023 waiting list and offer class slots to individuals on last year’s waiting list and who wish to take the course this year.
Instructors: Mike Bauer with assistance from several AZNPS members, Dr. Shelley McMahon, Herbarium Curator and Associate Professor, UA, and George Ferguson, UA Herbarium Collections Manager
Cost: $40
For Registration Contact: Douglas Ripley, jdougripley@gmail.com, 520-909-3132

Tonto Basin Chapter Meeting: : Kenda Svoboda. Grasses of the Mazatzal Foothill
2024-11-01 10:00 - 11:30
Kenda Svoboda from the Payson Forest Service will lead us in a grass walk at the Deer Creek Trailhead, located at the intersection of Highway 87 and Highway 188, south of Rye. Bring your hand lens, if you have one, and have fun learning how to ID grasses in the field.

Tucson Chapter Meeting:
2024-11-14 19:00 - 20:30 | U of A campus, Environment and Natural Resources Building (ENR2), Room S225 — 1064 E. Lowell Street, Tucson AZ, 1064 E. Lowell ST, Tucson
Re-hydrating and Re-enlivening Our Communities with Rain-watered Neighborhood Food Forestry
Presented by Brad Lancaster
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/

U of A campus, Environment and Natural Resources Building (ENR2), Room S255 — 1064 E. Lowell Street, Tucson AZ
For Zoom link, contact nativeplantstucson@gmail.com

Grass Identification Class at University Of Arizona Herbarium
2024-11-15 09:00 - 15:00 | University of Arizona Herbarium, Herring Hall

Tonto Basin Chapter Field Trip
2024-12-06 10:00 - 12:00
Friday, December 6, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Botany Over the Bridge, Tonto Basin
Join us for a 10-mile roundtrip adventure to explore the plant diversity in a chain-fruit cholla forest, desert ridge, and riparian area. This driving tour will include three stops and minimal walking.
Directions: From Highway 188 in Tonto Basin, turn east on E Tonto Creek Bridge Rd. After crossing the new bridge, continue straight on FS Rd 71/Greenback Valley Rd. The road turns to gravel at 1.3 miles from Highway 188. Continue on the gravel road for 2.2 miles. Turn right into large parking area. You do not need high-clearance or 4-wheel drive. Carpooling will be encouraged at our first stop

Tucson Chapter Meeting and Holiday Party
2024-12-12 19:00 - 20:30 | U of A campus, Environment and Natural Resources Building (ENR2), Room S225 — 1064 E. Lowell Street, Tucson AZ, 1064 E. Lowell ST, Tucson
MEMBERS SHOWCASE

December 12, 2024 at 7pm
U of A campus, Environment and Natural Resources Building (ENR2), Room S225, 1064 E. Lowell Street, Tucson AZ
Our December meeting will feature the Member’s Showcase. Two of our esteemed AZNPS members will regale us with presentations about topics in which they have a particular interest. After the talks, we will have a social hour, with cider and goodies and the chance to chat with friends. If you are able, please bring a holiday food treat to share.
Jillian Cowles – Chasing Wildflowers
Logan Phillips – Tucson’s Birthplace Open Space Coalition
Jillian will share her amazing photographs of some rare cactus and other plants that she has sought out over the past year. Jillian is the author of “Amazing Arachnids,” an amazing book published by Princeton University Press about the arachnids (spiders, mites, and other cool stuff) of the Southwest. Her photos are always a delight.
Logan Phillips is a Tucson poet, educator, and community activist who will tell us about the Tucson’s Birthplace Open Space Program (https://tucsonopenspace.org/). This effort, in which he is deeply involved, is focused on restoring the area between A Mountain and the Santa Cruz River, in the area near Mission Garden, into an open space and urban wildlife refuge that will honor the history of the Santa Cruz basin.

Tucson Chapter Member's Showcase and Holiday Gathering
2024-12-12 19:00 - 20:30 | U of A campus, Environment and Natural Resources Building (ENR2), Room S225 — 1064 E. Lowell Street, Tucson AZ, 1064 E. Lowell ST, Tucson
Jillian Cowles – Chasing Wildflowers
Logan Phillips – Tucson’s Birthplace Open Space Coalition
THURSDAY, December 12, 2024
Meeting and presentation, 7pm
U of A campus, Environment and Natural Resources Building (ENR2), Room S225
1064 E. Lowell Street, on the U of A Campus, Tucson

Our December meeting will feature the Member’s Showcase. Two of our esteemed AZNPS members will regale us with presentations about topics in which they have a particular interest. After the talks, we will have a social gathering, with cider and goodies and the chance to chat with friends. If you are able, please bring a holiday food treat to share.
Jillian Cowles will share her amazing photographs of some rare cactus and other plants that she has sought out over the past year. Jillian is the author of “Amazing Arachnids,” an amazing book published by Princeton University Press about the arachnids (spiders, mites, scorpions, and other cool stuff) of the Southwest. Her photos and stories are always a delight.
Logan Phillips is a Tucson poet, educator, and community activist who will tell us about the Tucson’s Birthplace Open Space Program (https://tucsonopenspace.org/). This effort, in which he is deeply involved, is focused on restoring the area between A Mountain and the Santa Cruz River, in the area near Mission Garden, into an open space and urban wildlife refuge that will honor the history of the Santa Cruz basin.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!

Tonto Basin Chapter Field Trip
2025-01-03 08:00 - 13:00 | Boyce Thompson Arboretum, 37615 E. Arboretum Way, Superior, AZ, 85173, United States
Friday, January 3, 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Boyce Thompson Arboretum
Carpooling will be arranged from Tonto Basin. Please RSVP so we can secure a group rate and/or library passes
RSVP to tontobasinnativeplants@gmail.com

Tucson Chapter Meeting: Yuccas and Their Moths
2025-01-09 19:00 - 20:30 | U of A campus, Environment and Natural Resources Building (ENR2), Room S225 — 1064 E. Lowell Street, Tucson AZ, 1064 E. Lowell ST, Tucson
Wendy Hodgson from the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix will talk about “Yuccas and their Moths.”

2025-01-09 19:00 - 20:30 | ENR2 Building, U of A Campus, Room S225 and on zoom, 1064 E Lowell Street, Tucson
Tucson Chapter Meeting – January 2025
The Amazing World of Yuccas and Their Pollinators
Presented by Wendy Hodgson
Senior Research Botanist at the Desert Botanical Garden
7pm in person and on Zoom
U of A campus, Environment and Natural Resources Building (ENR2), Room S225
1064 E. Lowell Street, Tucson AZ
Yuccas are a widespread and important keystone species in our desert and mountain landscapes throughout the Southwest. Wendy will share the story of the incredible relationship between yuccas and hesperoyuccas and their pollinators. She will highlight incredible research by passionate investigators from the time these pollination relationships were first announced to the scientific world to the present, focusing on species occurring within our Sonoran and Mohave deserts. She will also address important questions as to how these pollination mutualisms will be affected by climate challenges.
Wendy Hodgson has lived in and loved the Sonoran Desert for 55 years. She is Herbarium Curator Emerita and Senior Research Botanist at the Desert Botanical Garden. She studies southwest U.S. and northern Mexico floristics, with an emphasis on the Grand Canyon region. She also investigates the ecology of rare and endemic plants of the Southwestern US and northern Mexico and conducts research on the taxonomy and systematics of Agave, Yucca, and Hesperoyucca, including the study of pre-contact agave domesticated species. As an ethnobotanist, Wendy also specializes in Sonoran Desert food plants, and is the author of Food Plants of the Sonoran Desert. She has collected over 33,500 herbarium specimens, including thousands of specimens in difficult groups like Agavaceae and Cactaceae. Wendy works to foster diverse participation and collaboration in science by all interested parties, including community scientists and especially Indigenous Peoples, whose voices we have neglected to hear for far too long.
Come to learn from Wendy about the fascinating stories of yuccas and their pollinators!

Tonto Basin Chapter Meeting
2025-01-17 10:00 - 11:30 | Payson Public Library, Payson, AZ, 85541, United States
Friday, January 17, 10:00 – 11:30 AM:
Wendy Hodgson ; Pre-contact Agaves in the Southwestern United States: Rediscovering Lost Crops Among the Hohokam and Other Arizona Cultures
Location: Payson Public Library, 328 N McLane Rd, Payson, AZ

Online Master Gardener Class for Northern Arizona
2025-01-20 08:00 - 2025-05-11 17:00
2025_Spring MG Online Flyer

Tonto Basin Chapter Meeting
2025-02-07 10:00 - 11:30
Friday, February 7, 10:00 – 11:30 AM:
Teri Balaska: Plant Families and Plant Specialties
Location: TBD
For more information closer to the date, contact tontobasinnativeplants@gmail.com

Tucson Chapter Meeting for February 2025
2025-02-13 19:00 - 20:30 | ENR2 Building, U of A Campus, Room S225 and on zoom, 1064 E Lowell Street, Tucson
Uninvited Guests – The Lifestyles of Parasitic Plants
Presented by
Pinau Merlin
Naturalist and Author
Parasitic plants have evolved fascinating adaptive strategies for their lifestyles, as well as providing some surprising benefits to wildlife and people. Although only 1% of angiosperms are parasitic, they are very successful. Let’s have a closer look at these plants to see what’s going on under the surface.
Arceuthobium microcarpum on pine

Tonto Basin Chapter Meeting
2025-03-07 10:00 - 11:30 | Tonto Basin Chamber of Commerce, 45675 N Arizona Highway 188, Tonto Basin, AZ, 85553, United States
Friday, March 7, 10:00 – 11:30 AM. Ashley Hall, Rangeland Management Agent
Ashley will share her work on the Tonto National Forest.
This presentation will be held at the Tonto Basin Chamber of Commerce,
45675 N Arizona Highway 188, Tonto Basin

Tucson Chapter Meeting for March 2025
2025-03-17 19:00 - 20:30 | ENR2 Building, U of A Campus, Room S225 and on zoom, 1064 E Lowell Street, Tucson
MONDAY March 17 (NOTE DAY CHANGE!!!) 2025
7:00 pm ENR2 Room S225, 1064 E Lowell, Tucson AZ
Melissa Sevigny, co-author of “Brave The Wild River” will discuss the two pioneering women botanists who mapped the plants of the Grand Canyon.

Flagstaff Chapter Meeting
2025-03-18 19:00 - 20:30 | Northern Arizona University Biology Sciences Building, Room 328., Flagstaff, Arizona
Tuesday, March 18, 7:00 PM: Catherine Young. Analysis of Potential Hazards to
the Future Conservation of the Endemic Alpine Species Packera franciscana
Catherine Young, a junior at the NAU School of Forestry, will present the
important conservation breakthroughs that she has made for the threatened
alpine sunflower, Packera franciscana. The species is only found near Flagstaff,
above the treeline of the San Francisco Peaks. She successfully established
the first captive population of these plants outside of a greenhouse setting.
Her observations in the field suggest that a new hybrid zone has formed
within the last 10 years. She has also created the first tissue culture protocol
to produce genetically identical plants to those in the wild. The most recent
developments are laying the foundation for her future project that will
attempt to predict the response of the species to potential hazards such as
climate change, competition with hybrids, and wildfire. Hybrid meeting:
in-person and via Zoom.

Register in advance once in order to attend any of the meetings virtually:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/fCOe0-qlSZmMeGZNsNfV_A
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information
about joining the meeting. Use the link Zoom sends or the passcode [REDACTED] to
join the meeting

CELEBRATE THE 135th ANNIVERSARY OF THE U of A HERBARIUM
2025-03-20 17:00 - 20:00 | Tohono Chuol Gardens, 7366 N Paseo Del Norte, Tucson, AZ 85704, Tucson, AZ, 85704, United States
ARIZ is 135 years old! “ARIZ” is the official code for the Herbarium of the University of Arizona – and it’s celebrating its birthday! Come spend an evening under the stars celebrating this amazing legacy. All your favorite native plant and botanist friends will be there!

· For tickets, please visit this Eventbrite site.
· For more information, please click here to visit our website or email us at herbarium@cals.arizona.edu.

BioBlitz in the Santa Ritas
2025-03-23 10:00 - 13:00
March 23, 2025 at 10AM
The Great Old Broads for Wilderness are planning a BioBlitz on Sunday March 23, 2025 at Barrel Canyon on the east side of the Santa Rita Mountains, close to the areas imperiled by the Copper World mine. The boundaries are directly over an aquifer that is sustaining riparian trees and other plants. The goals of the Bio-Blitz are to:
• Identify any rare, threatened, or endangered species that are adjacent to Copper World mine
• Create community awareness for people who care about our Sky Islands being destroyed
• Generate a groundswell of opposition to future gambits by Hudbay (Canadian mining company)
• Engender delight in this glorious part of our state!
Please register for this event here: https://forms.gle/CGDWXVp5QUCvkDoX8
An iNaturalist project has been created that you can join today. Please join this project https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/rosemont-barrel-canyon-bioblitz
The road to the BioBlitz site is dirt but is navigable by SUVs and trucks. Cars with a higher clearance should be fine as well. We’ve created a carpool signup sheet which you can find here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bj8dcyxWUfT85ixc8-9cfS9lMMkDgpmFVCyeHXIny8Y/edit?usp=sharing

Once we hear from you, we will send out additional details about parking and the meetup location. Please consider joining us! It’s going to be a fun day in a beautiful place!

Tonto Basin Chapter Meeting
2025-04-04 10:00 - 11:30 | Tonto Basin Chamber of Commerce, 45675 N Arizona Highway 188, Tonto Basin, AZ, 85553, United States
Friday, April 4, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM:
Patti Fenner, Executive Director of the
Friends of the Tonto National Forest
Patti will share information on how to ID, remove, dispose, and report Stinknet, an aggressive, nonnative invasive weed that has arrived in the Tonto Basin.
We will meet at Tonto Basin Chamber of Commerce,
45675 N Arizona Highway 188, Tonto Basin

Tucson Chapter Meeting for April
2025-04-10 19:00 - 20:30 | ENR2 Building, U of A Campus, Room S225 and on zoom, 1064 E Lowell Street, Tucson
Growing for Restoration – The Pima County Native Plant Nursery Program
Presented by Amy Belk, Director of the Pima County Native Plant Nursery
Pima County’s unique Native Plant Nursery Program supports the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan by providing resources for local wildlife within public space projects, and by salvaging and replacing native plant species disturbed by public development projects. This talk explores some of the key differences between growing for restoration and growing for production or retail markets, and some of the exciting ways our program is helping to bridge the botanical gaps between community development and conservation of our natural and cultural resources.

Flagstaff Chapter Meeting
2025-04-15 19:00 - 20:30 | Northern Arizona University Biology Sciences Building, Room 328., Flagstaff, Arizona
Tuesday, April 15, 7:00 PM: Amelia Blake. Propagating Native Plants
Growing uncultivated plant varieties can be challenging. They often
have seed dormancy, unique soil needs, and don’t grow well in
containers. Because of this, many native plants are not available in
the nursery trade and native plant enthusiasts are left to cultivate
their own. Amelia will discuss strategies for successful native-plant
propagation.
Amelia is co-owner of Lily of the Filed Nursery, which focuses on growing native and heirloom plants that are especially well-adapted to the Flagstaff area. Amelia spent her childhood working with plants at the NAU Research Greenhouse during her father’s tenure as greenhouse manager. She received her B.S. in Plant Sciences from the University of Arizona. She then worked at Native Plant and Seed for three years before opening Lily of the Field Nursery in 2020 with her husband. She sells at most local markets, runs the Gardeners’ Market in east Flagstaff each spring, and sells by appointment from her home in the Upper Greenlaw neighborhood. Hybrid meeting: in-person and via Zoom.
Register in advance once in order to attend any of the meetings virtually:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/fCOe0-qlSZmMeGZNsNfV_A
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information
about joining the meeting. Use the link Zoom sends or the passcode [REDACTED] to
join the meeting

Tonto Basin Chapter Meeting
2025-05-02 10:00 - 13:00 | 268 E Stephen’s Way, Tonto Basin, Arizona
Friday, May 2, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM:
Laird Blackwell. Wildflower Adventures
Laird is the author of numerous wildflower books. He will share his field work in this inspiring presentation.
A year-end potluck will follow in the Chapter President’s garden/arboretum, 268 E Stephens Way, Tonto Basin. Please bring a dish to share.

2025-05-08 19:00 - 20:00 | ENR2 Building, U of A Campus, Room S225 and on zoom, 1064 E Lowell Street, Tucson
TUCSON CHAPTER MEETING FOR MAY 2025
Thursday, May 8 2025 at 7:00 pm
Perin McNelis, Native Plant Program Manager at Borderlands Restoration Network, will give a talk about seed dormancy types, germination requirements, dormancy breaking treatments, and propagation protocols for growing native plants from seeds.
Germinating seedlings with seed coats still attached
Since 2015 Perin’s work has been focused on plant material development for revegetation projects with a focus on erosion mitigation and watershed restoration in the Madrean Archipelago ecoregion. In her current role as Native Plant Program Manager at Borderlands Restoration Network she curates an extensive ex-situ seed collection, designs regional seed-based revegetation projects, coordinates seed harvest efforts, supervises seasonal crews and year-round horticulture staff, and writes/manages numerous grants and contracts. Perin is passionate about watershed restoration, agroecology, binational collaboration, and all things native seeds.
Perin McNelis, Borderlands Restoration Network
