Friday Flora Feature: Arizona Fishhook Pincushion (Mammillaria grahamii)
October 14, 2021When hiking through southeastern Arizona in the desert or woodlands, it’s a real treat to see the Arizona Fishhook Pincushion cactus (Mammillaria grahamii) growing cryptically under palo verde trees, creosote shrubs, or even under other cacti. Over the course…
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A Sampling of Flora in the San Rafael Valley: Shrubs
March 12, 2021In A Sampling of Flora in the San Rafael Valley: Grasses, I mentioned how I’d recently picked up a plant identification book after years of slowly falling in love with the…
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Friday Flora Feature: Deer Grass
February 11, 2021One of the first plants we teach our volunteers to look for when out Spring Seeking is deer grass (Muhlenbergia rigens), a type of bunchgrass commonly found near water sources in the Sky Island region. This week, we’re here…
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Friday Flora Feature: Arizona Walnut
December 4, 2020When searching for water in the Sky Islands, finding a walnut tree can be a great indicator that you’re getting close to a spring, stream, or other water source! These…
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Friday Flora Feature: Canyon Grape
November 12, 2020For this week’s Friday Flora Feature, we’re spotlighting Vitis arizonica, a grape species we often see while seeking water resources in the Sky Island region. Keep reading to learn how to identify this species when you’re…
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Friday Flora Feature: Agave
August 21, 2020It is Friday, so let’s celebrate one of the most conspicuous, ecologically and culturally important plant species of the arid regions of North America—agave. It’s iconic for the Sky Island…
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Friday Flora Feature: Bear Grass
July 10, 2020I fell in love with bear grass in the gorgeous grasslands of the San Rafael Valley, where our Border Wildlife Study cameras were set up this spring. Bear grass punctuates the Southwest landscape at elevations between 2,700 and 6,500 feet as rosettes up…
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Friday Flora Feature: Mexican Blue Oak
May 29, 2020Oaks are extraordinary creatures. They are one of the most ecological important genera of trees in the northern hemisphere. They support critical food chains and ecological processes wherever they occur….
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