Welcome to the Arizona Native Plant Society!

The Arizona Native Plant Society is a statewide nonprofit organization devoted to Arizona's native plants. Its mission is to promote knowledge, appreciation, conservation, and restoration of Arizona native plants and their habitats.

The 6th Annual ARIZONA BOTANY MEETING is scheduled for Feb. 21, 2009 and will be held in Tucson at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. For details or to register, go to: http://www.desertmuseum.org/azbotany/

The November 2008 edition of THE PLANT PRESS is now available!

NEW! Guide to Creating Backyard Habitat for Tucson's Urban-Adapted Lizards

Happenings , the Quarterly Newsletter of AZNPS of the Arizona Native Plant Society - December 2008 – February 2009 is now available on-line.

Southern Arizona Nature Almanac Floristic almanac: This month-to-month guide to some of the main floristic events in southern Arizona is excerpted or summarized, with permission, from Southern Arizona Nature Almanac, by Roseann Beggy Hanson and Jonathan Hanson (University of Arizona Press, 1996). This charming natural history guide is chock-full of insights, observations, stories, and suggestions for outings into the never-ending wonder of the Sonoran Desert. In Tucson, look for the book at the Audubon Nature Shop, Blue Raven Gallery, Tohono Chul Park, or other booksellers. For a copy of their book, click here. November Clouds of fluffy desert broom seeds swirl in gentle breezes. Light the color of melted butter pours over rolling fields of lovegrass and cottontops that are setting their seeds…. November is soft. The hot edges of October are gone, and the sharp cold of January and February is still a distant threat….If a hard freeze comes to the desertscrub and grasslands, which happens infrequently, mesquites and catclaw acacias may begin to drop their leaves in a quiet desert version of fall. Desertscrub- In riparian areas, the leaves of deciduous trees such as velvet ash (Fraxinus velutina), Frémont cottonwood (Populus fremontii), and Arizona sycamore (Platanus wrightii) will be turning golden and copper, and dropping. If a hard freeze hits, the leaves of desert trees may start drying and dropping. Desert broom (Baccharis sarothroides) are releasing clouds of snowy seeds. Branch-ends of mesquite trees in desertscrub and grasslands my brown up and die. Look for signs of the female mesquite twig girdler (Oncideres rhodiosticta), a small beetle that eats a deep channel through the bark. Oak Woodlands –Desert spoon (Dasylirion wheeleri) is dropping its seed from tall, delicate spikes. In canyon bottoms, Arizona walnut trees (Juglans major) may be dropping fruit. Print November Almanac...

Support AZNPS through workplace giving

AZNPS has recently joined the Environmental Fund for Arizona (EFAZ), a coalition of non-profit organizations working to keep Arizona healthy and maintain our special quality of environment. This organization was founded to provide funding and bring attention to our vital state environmental non-profit organizations through workplace giving.

Is there a charity giving program in your workplace? If not, why not contact EFAZ to begin the process? Just email or call 480.510.5511. Check the website to learn about EFAZ and all the partner organizations.