Herpetofauna awaken with the rainy season An Arizona summer is dry. It’s hot. There’s not a drop of moisture in the air. Life is seemingly absent at first glance as humans are indoors while the wildlife is underground or minimally active in cool shady hideouts. The desert is one of the harshest climates to live in,…
The Pollinator Party
National Pollinator Week, June 20-26, is a time to celebrate and BEE excited about the amazing work of pollinators! Join the festivities at our annual Party with Pollinators (Cool Summer Nights) evening this Saturday, June 25. We will have special pollinator themed activities and learning opportunities. Pollinator Week was developed to support pollinator health and…
Partner in Conservation: Intercultural Center for the Study of Deserts and Oceans
CEDO is located in Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point), Sonora, Mexico. The world celebrates its oceans every year on June 8, World Ocean Day. Meanwhile, here in Tucson, June marks the depth of our “arid foresummer,” the hottest and driest time of the year. We may dream of the beach, the sound of lapping waves, and…
Desert Museum Herbarium Digitized and Registered
by John F. Wiens, Massimo Boscolo Did you know that the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum has a herbarium? A herbarium is a collection of preserved plant specimens that are organized, databased, and safely stored for the purpose of scientific research and education. Botanists, ecologists, ethnobotanists, and plant enthusiasts in the general public may consult herbariums to…
It’s World Bee Day. Time for Bee Bingo!
Celebrate World Bee Day (May 20) with a fun game of Bee Bingo! Get outside and learn about the native bees and native plants of the Sonoran Desert and win prizes!
Charismatic Cacti Giants
We like big cacti and we cannot lie! The saguaro cactus occupies an undeniable place of prestige among the people in this region, no doubt due to its impressive size, charming shapes, and abundant distribution within its range (not to mention its extensive reproduction in art, film, and pop culture). We totally get it. We…
Desert Biota in a Changing Climate
Katie Predick, Conservation Research and Education Department Earth Day is a time to celebrate the fascinating, biodiverse, resilient nature all around us. And while it’s essential to appreciate and celebrate the unique nature of the Sonoran Desert and beyond, every Earth Day that passes without significant climate or environmental action brings us closer to the…
Desert Museum Science: Knowledge from Nature for People
A Day in the Life of Desert Museum Science Buzz Hoffman, a retired entomologist and founding member of the Museum’s Bee Team volunteers, spends several hours each week staring down a microscope, looking at minute details of native bees to sort them by genus. Isabella, a senior at Sunnyside High School, picks up where Buzz…
Finding Paths in the Mountains
An Earth Camp Experience By Alana Huffmon, Educator and Earth Camp staff Earth Camp is a unique experience that connects high-school students in Tucson with hands-on stewardship and restoration experiences in the Coronado National Forest. Earth Camp brings STEAM skills to life as students experience three days in the Santa Catalina Mountains working, learning, and laughing…
Save a Saguaro! Tucson Community Fights Buffelgrass
After University of Arizona Journalism student Hannah Cree attended the Save Our Saguaros Month Kickoff event to investigate the Tucson community’s efforts against the invasive species buffelgrass, we invited her to share the resulting story here on the Desert Diaries blog. Thank you to Hannah! By Hannah Cree with photos by Desert Museum staff It’s…
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