A Tale of a Resilient Santa Cruz River and its Tiny Topminnow By Claire Zugmeyer and Luke Cole, PhD | Sonoran Institute Fall is a festive time of year, temperatures start cooling off and we celebrate many events and holidays with family and friends. Sonoran Institute’s annual fish survey provides yet another reason to celebrate. This is an opportunity to see firsthand what may sound obvious—clean reliable water is…
Author: desertmuseum
Monarch Vs. Queen Butterflies and Tracking Migration
When visiting the Museum’s pollinator garden between September and November, you’ll likely notice a fluttering cloud of orange around the violet blooms of Conoclinium dissectum, commonly known as palm-leaf mistflower. Look a little closer, and you’ll see that among those orange wings are not only queen butterflies (Danaus gilippus), but occasionally well-traveled monarch butterflies (Danaus Plexpus) on their migratory journey….
Creating Bee Friendly Landscapes at Home
In recent decades, populations of important pollinators have been declining throughout much of North America. Beekeepers in the U.S. have been suffering from unusually high rates of colony loss of the domesticated honey bee (Apis mellifera). The abundance of several bumblebee species in the western U.S. has declined dramatically, with at least one species now…
Exploring Sahuaripa, Mexico: Our Botany Department Beyond the Museum
When visiting the Desert Museum, one of the most spectacular elements of our grounds is the incredible variety of Sonoran Desert flora. From brightly blooming passion flowers and resilient guayacán trees to iconic favorites like blue palo verde and saguaros, each plant requires expert care to not only thrive in their beauty but help sustain…
Happy Birthday Desert Museum: Celebrating 73 Years of Conservation!
The Sonoran Desert is a place of staggering beauty and biodiversity—home to towering saguaros, tiny elf owls, hovering hummingbirds, colorful gila monsters, and many other uniquely adapted species. But it’s also under pressure from increasing temperatures, invasive species, habitat loss, and drought.. For over 70 years, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum has been much more than…
Rehoming Sabino Canyon’s Native Fish
Sabino Canyon, one of Tucson’s most cherished natural areas, is renowned for its rugged beauty and diverse wildlife. Among its inhabitants is the Gila Chub (Gila intermedia), a rare native fish species found primarily in this region and one that has faced significant challenges in recent years. In June 2020, a lightning strike ignited the…
Battling Buffelgrass: How Sheep Could Help Restore the Sonoran Desert
Chances are if you are a Tucson local, you understand the threat of buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare) to our biologically-diverse Sonoran desert, iconic saguaros, and wildlife habitats. This pesty, invasive plant was first brought from Africa and introduced to the Tucson area in the 1930s. Initially used for cattle feed and later erosion, it has spread rapidly…
An Ecological Checkup for the Gulf of California
How does one do a checkup on a whole ecosystem? It takes a lot of doctors! Thirty-two, in the case of the latest Assessment of the Ecological Health of the Gulf of California, which finds that parts of the system are doing well, while others are hurting.
The Many Colors of Desert Museum Conservation
As our visitors quickly realize after spending a day at the Desert Museum, we are much more than a museum, or a zoo, or any one thing! Our diverse approach to education and conservation allows for a variety of ways for our community to engage in the work we do and deepen their understanding and…
Creating passage for wildlife across the U.S.-Mexico border
by Emily Burns, Ph.D | Sky Island Alliance Thanks to our community partners, Sky Island Alliance, for providing this guest blog for Desert Diaries. Support their border conservation work by following them on social media, volunteering, and donating! Standing at the foot of the border wall in southeast Arizona is intimidating. The wall rises 30…
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