Flagstaff Chapter Field Trip
2024-06-23 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Phoenix)
Mt. Elden Agaves
Join Susan Holiday as she shows us native Agave parryi (Parry’s Agave) that grow in the “banana belt” of Mt. Elden.
Contact Susan at naris123@cs.com for specific details.

Plants of the Mohave Desert and Traditional Tribal Uses
2024-06-27 19:00 - 20:30 | online via Eventbrite
The Natural History Institute in Prescott, AZ has a free talk this month. Carrie Cannon, a professional Ethnobotanist with the Hualapai Tribe of the Grand Canyon, will be giving a lecture on “Plants of the Mojave Desert and Traditional Tribal Uses” at 7pm AZ Time on Thursday, June 27th. Attendance is free but requires registration via the link above.

The talk can also be live-streamed remotely at this link on our Youtube channel. The live-stream recording will be posted on our channel for you to watch at your convenience if the timing of the event doesn’t suit you well.

Native Plant Sale at The Arboretum at Flagstaff
2024-07-07 08:00 - 17:00

Flagstaff Chapter Meeting
2024-07-16 19:00 - 20:30 | Highgate Senior Living Center at 1831 N Jasper Dr. on McMillan Mesa., 1831 N. Jasper Dr on McMillan Mesa, Flagstaff, Arizona
Jesse Duff-Woodruff. Plants Endemic to the Kaibab National Forest

Monsoon Plant Sale at Desert Survivors Tucson
2024-07-20 08:00 - 16:00 | 1020 W. Starr Pass Blvd, Tucson AZ 85713
https://www.desertsurvivors.org/plant-sales-events/

Grass Identification Class at University of AZ Herbarium
2024-08-16 09:00 - 15:00 | University of Arizona Herbarium, Herring Hall
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

Arizona Native Plant Society 20th Annual Botany Meeting
2024-08-17 08:00 - 18:30 | Pima Community College, Tucson
AZNPS will have its twentieth annual botanical symposium in person this year, on Saturday, August 17, 2024. The venue will be Pima Community College West Campus, at 2202 W Anklam Road in Tucson. It’s an easy drive, just a few miles west of Interstate 10. The meeting will run from 8:00 am to 6:30 pm on Saturday, and field trip times for Sunday will be announced at the meeting. Lunch and light refreshments are included in the registration.
Mark your calendars, and we hope to see you in Tucson in August!
Mail-In Registration
Conference Details
Online Registration
Call for Papers

Flagstaff Chapter Meeting
2024-08-20 19:00 - 20:30 | Highgate Senior Living Center at 1831 N Jasper Dr. on McMillan Mesa. Park, 1831 N. Jasper Dr on McMillan Mesa, Flagstaff, Arizona
Zane Robertson: Rumex orthoneurus
Rumex orthoneurus is an herbaceous riparian perennial within the Polygonaceae or Buckwheat family native to Arizona and is a Forest Service sensitive species. One of the issues regarding the “threatened” status of R. orthoneurus is the taxonomic distinctions between R. orthoneurus and closely related species, such as R. densiflorus, R. pycnanthus, and R. occidentalis. My research focuses on using ribosomal RNA extracted from herbarium specimens, GenBank sequences, and other historic records to provide insight on the identity of R. orthoneurus and better inform conservation efforts.
Zane Robertson is a Plant Biology and Conservation M.S. graduate of Arizona State University. His interest lies in rare plant conservation and molecular biology, and his thesis focuses on combining historic and molecular techniques to clarify the identity of the rare plant Rumex orthoneurus. He is from Mukilteo, Washington State, where he first gained interest in plant biology while volunteering at the community garden. He graduated from Everett Community College within the Ocean Research College Academy program, where he gained an interest in research and the principles of conservation within the natural world. During his time at Montana State University, he studied wheat breeding and tested a quantitative trait loci (QTL) from spring wheat varieties to identify the effect of the QTL on different traits. He is currently working as a Conservation and Land Management Program (CLM) Intern with the U.S. Forest Service at Tonto National Forest and Chicago Botanical Garden.

Tucson Chapter Monsoon Mixer
2024-09-06 18:00 | Himmel Park
Spend a delightful, friend-filled evening with ANZPS on Friday, September 6th, 2024 at 6:00pm for our annual monsoon mixer and plant swap!

This year we will be holding this event under the large Ramada on the west side of Himmel Park. There is ample parking on the northwest side of Himmel Park and the ramada will allow us to hold the event rain or shine. (As you recall, we have been rained out in past events!)

In keeping with tradition, we encourage members to bring native plants, seedlings, and seeds to swap with one another. This is an opportunity to clear out those seedlings that have come up with the summer rains and exchange them for a new addition to your native plant collection. We also encourage members to bring native plant-related books and art to swap with fellow members.

The Tucson Chapter board will provide some snacks and drinks, and members are encouraged to bring their own dishes, potluck-style to share. We do have a permit from the City to have alcoholic beverages at this event, so members are welcome to bring their own libations.

This gathering will take the place of our September meeting, and will be an excellent opportunity to kick off another season of field trips and lectures from the Tucson Chapter of the Arizona Native Plant Society.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Click below for map and directions to the park:
Himmel Park Location and Details
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Native Plant Sale at The Arboretum, Flagstaff
2024-09-07 08:00 - 17:00 | The Flagstaff Arboretum

Flagstaff Chapter Meeting: Mariola Barrera. Poa fendleriana Demography and Fecundity
2024-09-17 19:00 - 20:30 | Highgate Senior Living Center at 1831 N Jasper Dr. on McMillan Mesa., 1831 N. Jasper Dr on McMillan Mesa, Flagstaff, Arizona

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 | 1020 W. Starr Pass Blvd, Tucson AZ 85713

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

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
