Tucson sits on the edge of the Sky Island Region and the Sonoran Desert, which hosts some of the greatest diversity of plants and animals in world. One of the most unique wildlife phenomenons in our region is the explosive breeding congregations of toads brought on by the monsoon rains. Herpetologists fondly call these congregations of desert amphibians Cluster Amplexus (amplexus is the act of grasping your mate from behind and fertilizing eggs as they are laid). I have witnessed...
For the past several months, WMG's River Restoration Biologist Trevor Hare has been working hard to implement a restoration project in the Cañada del Oro floodplain. The property at the corner of La Cholla Blvd and Overton Road was a chicken farm at one point but was bought by Pima County using Floodprone Land Acquisition Program funding, and WMG was contracted to develop and implement a water harvesting and native plant restoration plan. We’ve excavated over 88,000 square feet of...
Pollinators have swiftly moved in to the Living Lab on our seventh day of Spring. Buzzing around our resident Rio Grande Butterfly Bush, Buddleja sessiliflora, the bees are busy collecting pollen from the clusters of tiny green flowers that have recently come back into bloom. Lisa Shipek, our Executive Director, bought the plant from Desert Survivors several years ago after learning there were only five wild bushes counted for in the Tucson region. What’s more, this species only...
This past Saturday Docent Joe Tabor spotted a mid-town Ground Cuckoo at the Living Lab, or more commonly known as a Greater Roadrunner. Vicious predators they are - having been known to kill and eat whole rattlesnakes. They are year-round residents to this region, but not so commonly seen here in mid-town Tucson so this is a treat! Keep an ear out for their coo-coo-cooing calls.
Hear their coos at Cornell's All About Birds website.
Prunus persica. Mid Pride Peach. Durazno.
We have gone back and forth about whether or not keep our peach tree in the ground as part of our food forest. This past year, the fruits produced were teeny tiny and not very juicy or matured. Probably a result of a longer, hotter, drier summer/fall and not enough water and shade to meet it's needs. Although we have wondered if maybe it is something else. Could its roots be bound? Could the nearby mesquite be sucking water from right under it...
One of the consistent issues we face with our composting toilets are insect infestations. In 2017 we installed a two chamber composting toilet, with the chambers at about 150 gallons each. They are masonry built with all the same features as any other chamber toilet. The important piece we did not give attention to initially that we are doing now is making sure all possible gaps are carefully sealed! At the access hatch, along the toilet seat, the air vent that leads to the roof, etc...
