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All are welcome to join us on these monarch tagging excursions. Based on previous years experience, these dates and locations should yield good results. No experience needed to tag. We'll teach you! Bring plenty of water, a snack, shoes that can get wet, and a net if you have one. All tagging events start at the location at 9AM and go until roughly noon. Contact Chris at 520-689-2723 or email ckline@ag.arizona.edu for more info.
Southwest Monarch Study Tagging Dates and Locations
Saturday, August 16 - Wenima Wildlife Area, about two miles north of Springerville.
Saturday, August 30 - Canelo, Santa Cruz County
Saturday, September 6 - San Pedro River Inn, Hereford
Sunday, September 14 - Canelo
Saturday, October 11 - Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior.
Saturday, October 18 - Perkinsville, north of Cottonwood.
Saturday, November 1 - Gardner Canyon, a few miles north of Sonoita. (NOTE: This is NOT Garden Canyon in the Huachucas!)
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Adriane Grimaldi, one of our members, guest speaker and butterflywalk leader, always had the dream to go see the Monarchs in Michocan & Sierra Pelon, Mexico (their overwinterings grounds) and now she is ready to go and invites you to come with her.
The tour is set for Feb. 17-20, 2009. There is some hiking to get to sanctuary so moderate fitness level is required to access the sanctuaries. Adriane has researched companies that offer this kind of tour and found Rocamar Tours to be very accommodating and reasonably priced - $550 and that includes airport pickup/dropoff, 3 nights hotel, 3 breakfasts, 1 lunch, transportation to Monarch Sanctuaries, entrance fees, city tour and tour guide. AIRFARE IS NOT INCLUDED and is up to the person to arrange on their own. There are flights directly to Morelia which is recommended. Some flights were found for $650. For more information email Adriane at vagrimaldi@cox.net
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A special FIELD TRIP with Dr. Pearson. This field trip will accommodate those with an eye for shorebirds and tiger beetles. Willcox and the Sulphur Springs Valley are among the best places in Arizona for fall migrating shorebirds, and with 18 species of tiger beetles, it has one of the highest diversities of tiger beetle species in North America, including several endemic species and subspecies- a veritable paradise! PLEASE NOTE: THE GROUP SIZE IS LIMITED TO 15 PEOPLE. RESERVATION DEADLINE IS JULY 12th.
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As good butterfly stories go, Marceline VandeWater and Gretchen Bickert have their share of doozies. VandeWater, a Scottsdale botanist, recalls seeing a pair of metallic black-blue pipevine swallowtails so busy mating that they let themselves be devoured by a preying mantis. It was so terrible and sad, I deleted all the pictures I had taken of them, and I didn’t stay to watch the outcome, she says, grimacing.
Bickert, a registrar at the Phoenix Zoo, recounts a canoe trip in Peru: This thing came floating down out of the forest toward us, and I kept looking at it, and looking at it, like ‘What is that thing?’ No kidding, it was as big as a bird! she says of her encounter with a rainforest-dwelling blue morpho, an electric-blue, iridescent monstrosity of a butterfly that can reach a wingspan of 8 inches.
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Saturday & Sunday / March 8-9 / 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
The Desert Botanical Garden is the perfect setting to experience the beauty of the southwest wildflower season. During this weekend, visitors will have the opportunity to participate in activities designed to enhance their understanding of desert blossoms. In addition to taking a tour of our wildflower trail, guests can learn about Arizona plant societies, conservation organizations and botanical institutions, enjoy music by local musicians, participate in demonstrations, and shop in the Flower Power Market. New this year, guests will learn about eco-friendly or “green” products and services.
All activities are included with membership or paid admission and are subject to change.
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