Nature Conservancy Offers Opportunities to View Seasonal Wildflowers

Spring Blooms on Conservancy Preserves in Southern Arizona

Tucson, AZ—April 8, 2003— As Earth Day approaches, The Nature Conservancy is encouraging the public to explore Conservancy preserves and celebrate the splendor of spring for vivid and dramatic displays of Arizona's wildflowers.

This spring, in spite of drought conditions across Arizona, some corners of the landscape are coming alive with brilliant presentations of color; and the Conservancy is promoting the wildflowers on its preserves with the hope of generating interest in the conservation of these picturesque yet fragile habitats. Two of the Conservancy’s preserves in Arizona, Ramsey Canyon and Patagonia-Sonoita Creek preserves, are less than a two-hour drive from Tucson.

"Many Nature Conservancy preserves are open to the public year round, but spring is an especially wonderful time to reconnect with nature," said the Arizona chapter’s state director Pat Graham. "The Nature Conservancy wants to invite the public to its preserves in the hope of encouraging community support for the conservation efforts of these special places and for the larger landscapes beyond their borders on which they depend."

Wildflowers are indigenous flowering plants that have adapted to the geography and temperature conditions of a particular area. As the Arizona landscape changes, so does the look of the indigenous flora. Climate and soil variances across the state have resulted in a wide array of shapes, sizes and colors of wildflowers. Conservancy preserves across Arizona and the U.S. offer an opportunity to see the diversity of American wildflowers, including some of the rarest flowers in the world.

In the cool canyon of the Conservancy’s Ramsey Canyon Preserve near Sierra Vista, spring begins with the swelling of cottonwood and willow buds in February and ends with the flowering of the rare lemon lily in June. In early April, the small white flowers of the native chokecherry attract bees and flies whose pollen-transferring visits will result in sweet summer cherries favored by birds and black bear. New Mexican locust produce pink clusters of flowers in May. Large carpenter bees are its main pollinators, but the flowers are also visited by hummingbirds whose long bills and tongues are able to access the nectar without picking up any pollen, making them nectar "thieves."

Depending on winter and spring rains and the moisture available, wildflower bloom is variable from year to year. Golden columbine, yellow and red monkeyflowers, scarlet sage, violets, and paintbrush are some of the most common wildflowers found in Ramsey Canyon. Manzanita shrubs are also early bloomers--the opening of their small, pink urn-shaped flowers coincides with the arrival of the first broad-tailed hummingbirds, whose insect-like wing trill is usually heard amidst the flowering manzanita.

Spring bloom at the Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve (in the town of Patagonia) includes cottonwood and willow flowers that can be enjoyed while strolling the wooded path beside the stream. Depending on moisture conditions, visitors may also discover lemony yellow monkeyflowers, red thistle flowers, and showy white blue-stem pricklepoppy flowers. Abundant white clusters of blossoms adorn Mexican elderberry trees and are soon followed by succulent elderberry fruits that provide food for many birds. In the forest understory, the orange tubular flowers of desert honeysuckle are magnets for hummingbirds.

"The Conservancy is working to preserve the diversity of native plants so that you don’t have to be a world traveler to see these natural treasures," said Conservancy naturalist Mark Pretti. In addition to bringing a colorful element of their surroundings, wildflowers attract butterflies, birds and other types of wildlife. The Nature Conservancy has long been aware of the wildflower’s significance and is dedicated to preserving biologically important places for the enjoyment and education of future generations."

The Nature Conservancy welcomes any interest and involvement in the conservation and management of native plants. Anyone interested in visiting a Conservancy preserve can find location and visitation information, plus Conservancy state chapter phone numbers on the Internet at nature.org/arizona.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 14 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 83 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific.

The Nature Conservancy in Arizona has been actively engaged in saving our state’s last great places for wildlife and for people for nearly 40 years. Together with communities, private citizens, businesses and public agencies, it has helped to protect more than 1 million acres of significant habitat statewide. The Conservancy also owns and manages nature preserves in Arizona. Of these, six are normally open to the public for bird watching, hiking and nature studies. For more information on The Nature Conservancy in Arizona and how to visit its preserves, visit us on the Web at nature.org/arizona or call our Tucson Conservation Center at (520) 622-3861.