Families are welcome at the Monarch Haven and Reading Sanctuary at Red Mountain Library to celebrate the spring equinox. Southwest Monarch Study will share their expertise about monarch butterflies in Arizona. City of Mesa Environmental & Sustainability staff will be onsite to answer questions about green programs and will be giving away origami butterflies. Also meet Roberta Gibson, author of How …
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Everyone needs a home and desert wildlife such as quail, hummingbirds, sparrows, and butterflies are no different. An emerging trend in urban gardening is a return back to our desert roots through the use of native plants and sustainable landscape practices that are done in a way that would encourage these pollinators to visit our gardens. Here are some easy …
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Would you like to attract birds or butterflies to your yard or perhaps you are looking for year-round color, or a cool, shady retreat? By selecting plants that are well-adapted to our desert climate you’ll have less maintenance and more time and money to enjoy your beautiful landscape. Horticulturist and Conservation Coordinator, Donna DiFrancesco, from the City of Mesa Environmental …
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What is xeriscape and how do you pronounce it? In this presentation, you’ll learn how to use seven common-sense design principles to help you create or maintain a beautiful desert landscape. Discover how to create a sense of place while attracting birds and butterflies all while saving water, too. Horticulturist and Conservation Coordinator, Donna DiFrancesco, from the City of Mesa …
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Bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies are just a few of the helpful pollinators flying through our landscapes. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, pollinators are responsible for assisting over 80% of the world’s flowering plants to reproduce. We depend on pollinators for the gardens we enjoy, plant materials we utilize, and the food we eat. Bees are by far the …
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Gail Morris, Coordinator of the Southwest Monarch Study, will discuss how to attract Monarchs and other butterfly species to your garden. The numbers of Monarch butterflies are declining due to loss of their natural habitat. You can help by adding native plants, especially milkweeds, to your landscape or by creating Monarch Waystations. Donna DiFrancesco, City of Mesa Conservation Coordinator, will …
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Spring wildflower season is one of the desert’s most colorful periods. But planning for those multicolored displays in the spring requires planning in the Fall. The prime time to plant spring flowers in the low desert areas of southern Arizona is during late September through early December. Most spring-blooming wildflowers benefit from the cold temperatures of winter and begin their …
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Laura Miller, a Southwest Monarch Study citizen scientist and board member, will discuss how to attract Monarchs and other butterfly species to your garden. The numbers of Monarch butterflies are declining due to destruction of their natural habitat and difficulties during migration. You can help by adding native plants to your landscape or by creating Monarch way stations. Donna DiFrancesco, City of Mesa Conservation …
Read MoreDescription Desert Milkweed, Asclepias subulata, has slender gray-green stems that grow vertically to 4 feet from a woody base. The plant’s spread can reach 2 feet or more. Leaves 2 inches long by 1/8-inch-wide appear on new growth but soon drop. The white milky sap that oozes from cut stems contains rubber. From spring through fall, flat-topped clusters of pale …
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