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THE METRO PHOENIX
FIELD GUIDE
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UPDATES AND WELCOME
Hello Neighborhood Naturalists,
Happy Community Science Month! Happy Earth Day! Happy Arizona Sustainability Month! There are so many things happening in the month of April. This month's EcoQuest is focused on imprudent pruning and we're learning about how it can affect the health and longevity of plants. Desert Botanical Garden is looking for volunteers to train for the Saguaro Census, the first-ever census of urban saguaros. Don't forget, the City Nature Challenge is happening April 29-May 2. Let's see if we can move up in global ranks and win the Southwest Challenge!
Wishing you great discoveries,
Jeny, EcoFlora Coordinator
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IN THIS NEWSLETTER
Welcome
EcoQuest News Flash
Happenings
City Nature Challenge
iNaturalist Update
Merit System Update
Resources
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April 2022 EcoQuest:
Imprudent Pruning
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Find and map as many examples of imprudent pruning as possible!
This month we're looking for the top 5 NOT wanted list for pruning, including topping, lion tailing, shrub shapes, puny palms, and cactus and succulent chop.
When pruning practices and methods aren’t carefully considered and executed, it can damage a plant for the rest of its life. Plants provide many benefits to people and wildlife, and help mitigate the effects of climate change. If we are planting trees in great numbers but are losing them in a few years’ time due to improper pruning and maintenance, we are negating our efforts. Mature trees are less tolerant of pruning, and we can lose them and the many benefits they provide to harsh pruning practices.
Read the journal post to learn more about the top 5 NOT wanted, why they're not wanted, and what you can do instead.
Observing plants that have been imprudently pruned can help us recognize improper pruning and the effect it has on the health and longevity of plants. We can also see if there are patterns of improper pruning in our area.
NOTE: Be sure to use #imprudentpruning in the notes of your observation! This will help us sort through the observations on iNaturalist.
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This month’s EcoQuest is in collaboration with Desert Botanical Garden’s Desert Landscape School (DLS).
DLS is a signature program at Desert Botanical Garden, that offers professionals, homeowners and gardeners an opportunity to learn from experts about all aspects of desert landscaping. Sign up for one of the exciting horticulture and desert gardening classes today! Courses are available for online and onsite learning.
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March EcoQuest Results:
Wildflower Wonders: Round 2
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For the March EcoQuest, we dove in for a second round of wildflower observations. This is the first EcoQuest that has been repeated, with interest in comparing the results from year to year.
This year, we received more rain, but the timing was late. There were more wildflower observations, but also more observers. Last year, 38 species were observed. This year, there were 59 species. Even with the increase in the number of species, the top 5 most observed remained nearly the same. The top image shows 2021, and the bottom 2022.
RESULTS: 1,177 observations by 223 observers
TOP OBSERVER: larandas with 81
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We hope you enjoyed observing wildflowers and learned more about the ones that made an appearance this year! |
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March 2022 QuickQuest Results:
Catch Cape Marigold
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From March 17-31, we asked you to find and map as many Cape marigolds (Dimorphotheca sinuata) as possible. Also known as African daisy, this annual flowering plant is often mistaken for a native wildflower. Native to South Africa, Cape marigolds have been making an appearance in metro Phoenix since the early 1960s. Through this QuickQuest, we wanted to see if we could learn more about its population and spread.
RESULTS: 49 observations by 19 observers
The graph and maps below show how Cape marigold observations fluctuate through time, from 2016-present. Although Cape marigold has invasive tendencies, like rapid reproduction and spread, there doesn't seem to be enough evidence to justify calling it an invasive species just yet. More research needs to be done to determine if this species could be considered invasive in our area.
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ECOQUESTIONS:
PRUNING WITH RAY LEIMKUEHLER
April 11 | 10 a.m.
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In this EcoQuestions session we hear from Ray Leimkuehler. Ray is a trails horticulturist for the Desert Botanical Garden and an ISA certified arborist/municipal specialist. He has been a horticulturist for 22 years, with 16 of those years spent at Desert Botanical Garden. Ray will share his expertise in the best pruning practices to keep plants healthy and flourishing.
EcoQuestions are presentations and Q&A sessions with scientists, experts or community members focused on the monthly EcoQuest topic.
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GET READY FOR THE CITY NATURE CHALLENGE
AT DESERT BOTANICAL GARDEN
April 7 | 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
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City Nature Challenge. Jeny Davis, Coordinator of the Metro Phoenix EcoFlora project, and Ryan Esch, early-career botanist and ecologist researching the conservation of threatened Sonoran Desert cacti, will be your naturalist guides and teach you about the CNC and how to use the free iNaturalist app. This is an amazing tool that can identify plants and wildlife and help us learn more about them.
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VISIT GLENDALE'S XERISCAPE DEMONSTRATION GARDEN
April 30 | 9:30 - 11 a.m.
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Surrounding the Glendale Main Library, the Xeriscape Demonstration Garden is an award-winning garden that is a living example of the diversity and abundant amount of plants available for use in planning a lush, inviting low-water-use garden.
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FIRST-EVER URBAN SAGUARO CENSUS
May 2022
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Do you love saguaros? Help us learn more about them!
The Saguaro Census is looking for volunteers to document urban saguaro cactus in metro Phoenix and take notes on their overall health. The first volunteer training will be held April 27th from 9-11 a.m at Desert Botanical Garden.
You can also join the Saguaro Census on iNaturalist and observe saguaros anytime starting May 1st.
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It's time! The Greater Phoenix Area will once again take part in the City Nature Challenge (CNC), April 29-May 2. Last year was the first year the area participated, and we placed 30th in the world out of over 400 urban areas around the globe! Let's see if we can move up the ranks this year. We're also in a friendly competition with our friends in Albuquerque and El Paso!
This is an important and fun event that highlights the amazing biodiversity of urban areas in the Sonoran Desert and we need your help!
If you're interested in participating or collaborating with us, click the buttons below.
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iNaturalist recently announced that it will be updating the mobile app on both iPhone and Android. While not much information is available yet, the update is said to make functionality across both operating systems the same. This means users will have access to nearly all the same features. The update will happen after the City Nature Challenge. |
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Did you know? We have a merit system! |
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Have you made observations for the project? You could be earning merits.
From stickers and buttons to shirts and gear, there's all kinds of great rewards.
We've updated the merits and made it easier to ear bigger rewards sooner. We've also added new merits like hats, coloring books, seed packets, a National Parks pass, and the badges are now real-life stickers!
Open to project members only, while supplies last.
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What We Do | In collaboration with Desert Botanical Garden and the Central Arizona Conservation Alliance (CAZCA), the Metro Phoenix EcoFlora project is making plant science meaningful and open for everyone, while we learn about the biodiversity of our urban desert home.
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