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Maricopa County Master Naturalist Monthly Newsletter - 2022

Wednesday June 1 Lights Out Initiative Conservation

Sonoran Audubon Society is inviting friends to join the board meeting to learn more about the Lights Out initiative that the Desert Rivers chapter is starting in the Phoenix area. If you are interested in listening in, please email klaf40@gmail.com by May 30th. Invites to the ZOOM meeting will be sent prior to the meeting.

Wednesday June 6 Early Prehistoric Agriculture at Las Cienega 12:00 – 1:00 pm Archaeology

Archaeologists Will discuss recent studies along Cienaga Creek southeast of Tucson in Las Cienegas National Conservation Area. The floodplains of Cienega Creek and tributaries have supported some of the earliest agricultural development in southern Arizona. These ancient sites continue to be important to understanding how, why, and when agriculture/maize agriculture became an increasingly dominant means of subsistence for communities living in the area. This presentation will cover the significance of this period and important cienega sites, results of new surveys in 2022 to locate older recorded sites, and future protection and monitoring needs.

http://www.cienega.org/news-events/events/

Monday, June 6 Spiders part ll 7:00 – 8 PM Arachnology

Pima County NRPR

Jeff Babson will be presenting information about spiders, the most familiar group of arachnids. Spiders are important predators of terrestrial ecosystems around the world. He will also discuss the fears, myths, and misconceptions that people have about spiders. The order up! Series introduces a different order of insect or arachnid in each installment, covering key characteristics, habits, and species with a particular focus on those found in southern Arizona.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/order-up-araneae-spiders-part-2-registration-308962403867?aff=ebdsoporgprofile, but paste the link in your browser.

June 8 Wednesday Hummingbirds of Ecuador Sonora Audubon Society Ornithology

Ecuador is home to 132 hummingbird species out of the more than 300 in the world. You will see photos of most of the 12 types of hummingbirds from Hermits to Pufflegs. The presentation will explore the various habitats of Ecuador; the Páramo above the cloud forests where the Andes' high-altitude grasslands and scrublands lie, the tropical cloud forests where it rains but not from the sky, and the tropical rain forests of the Amazon. The presentation will leave the viewer with a feel of the fantastic tropical lodges on the trip. Viewers will also have a look at some techniques for getting that great hummingbird photo.

Please email klaf40@gmail.com by May 30th. Invites to the ZOOM meeting will be sent out prior to the meeting. .Information to RSVP will be included on a following email.

Wednesday June 8, 2022 Maricopa Master Naturalists June Chapter Meeting 5:30 to 7:30 Speaker Presentation: Shining a Light on a Hidden Agave: The Power and Limitations of iNaturalist Records

Register for one or all meetings here ----->

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUofuGhrjojHtEc-YRV1az31YJuihbxwUlk

Saturday June 25 Saguaro Fruit Harvest 7:00 AM - 11:00 AM Botany

High summer is the beginning of the O’odham calendar, as this is the time to harvest saguaro fruit. Spend the morning gathering and preparing fruit in the O’odham manner, using a harvesting pole made from the ribs of the giant cactus, then learn about different ways that the fruit is preserved or prepared. The class will discuss other desert plants that were important food sources for native peoples and about the animals that use the saguaro for food and shelter. This class is sponsored by the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum on the Saguaro Fruit Harvest.

https://desertmuseum.asapconnected.com/#CourseID=242340

Master Naturalists: Over 150 on demand webinars are waiting for you to view. Many of the webinars are skills based. Check out the Advanced Training Summary List in Google Sheets to see all the events.

June Volunteer Opportunities: Partnerships

Thank you so much for your continued support in helping keep our natural areas…wild!

Ongoing Opportunities

Looking to get out of the Valley during the heat of summer? Here is one volunteer opportunity with AZ Game & Fish: Page Springs Wildlife Area Trail Maintenance. These usually occur on Saturdays from 9am-3pm at the Page Springs Wildlife Area (10 miles south of Sedona, near Cornville). This is a cooperative project with the Northern Arizona Audubon Society. Contact: Wade Zarlingo – Wzarlingo@azgfd.gov

Friends of the Tonto needs volunteers to water newly planted milkweeds! Assist with Milkweed for Monarchs as you are available during the summer.

The McDowell Sonoran Conservancy offers several volunteer opportunities from education to “guided hike and bike”. As per their website, one can “expect to “do some good, learn some stuff, get some exercise, share your talents, and make new friends.”

Maricopa County Parks Opportunities

Friday June 3: 7:30-11:30 am Native Seed Harvest

Native seeds will be harvested and used for park restoration projects where invasive species have been removed and where parks have been impacted by wildfires. Using seeds from local see genotypes help maintain the park’s biodiversity and sustainability in the face of climate change. The native seed harvested will later be used to help in park restoration projects and will be planted in invasive species removal areas and parks impacted by wildfires. Collecting and planting local seed genotypes will help maintain the park's biodiversity and sustainability through climate changes. Registration is required. White Tank

Thursday June 9 7:30 am-10:30 am Native Seed Garden workday.

Meet at the native seed garden near the maintenance lot. We will be installing two artificial shades, collecting any seed that is still available and repotting some small plugs in pots and other general maintenance and may be adding mulch throughout the park system (if available). The native seed garden event is by invite only…so all AZMAs are invited and will meet at the native seed garden near the maintenance lot at White Tanks. The meeting location for the white tank is on the MN sign-up sheet

Yellow-billed Cuckoo Internship - ONE Position Open

SAS is currently recruiting for the 2022 Yellow-billed Cuckoo Team! The Western, Yellow-billed Cuckoo is considered a species of concern making monitoring critical. As an intern, you will spend early mornings hiking with a small team in lush, riparian corridors that are integral for breeding cuckoos. As a team, you will be utilizing call playbacks to detect Yellow-billed Cuckoos.

In addition to a stipend, gas will be reimbursed, and carpooling may be available. . The survey season is from approximately late June-August, and field days will be on select days (usually weekends with a few weekdays).

The goal for this internship is to commit to and obtain 40 hours out in the field (not expected to complete in one season) with a mentor and to attend the survey training on June 23-24th with Audubon Southwest and US Fish & Wildlife Service to become a certified Yellow-billed Cuckoo surveyor.

We are looking for a total of ONE more intern for this season. If this sounds like the experience for you, please reach out to klaf40@gmail.com with your questions and resume. If you have any questions to ask a previous intern, please email kdelcid1@asu.edu.

To hear more about an intern's experience, check out the article "When Creeping on Cuckoos Leads to a Potential Career." Mikaela Joerz was a Yellow-billed Cuckoo Intern with SAS in 2021. SAS wants to congratulate Mikaela on her accomplishments and wishes her the utmost best in her future career in wildlife!

Sponsor’s Corner:

By Juanita Armstrong-Ullberg

White Tank Mountain Regional Park is the largest park in the County’s regional park system at 29,557-acres. Most of the park is made up of the rugged and beautiful White Tank Mountains on the Valley’s west side. The range, deeply serrated with ridges and canyons, rises sharply from its base to peak at over 4,000 feet. Infrequent heavy rains cause flash floodwaters to plunge through the canyons and pour onto the plain. These torrential flows, pouring down chutes and dropping off ledges, have scoured out a series of depressions, or “tanks,” in the white granite rock below, thus giving the mountains their name.

Camping

The Park offers 40 individual reservable sites for tent or RV camping. Most sites have a large parking area to accommodate up to a 45' RV and all are "Developed Sites," with water and electrical hook-ups, a picnic table, a barbecue grill, a fire ring, and a nearby dump station.

Competitive Track

The White Tank Mountain Regional Park Competitive Track consists of two loops and a technical segment. The total trail length is I9.6-miles. Those seeking leisurely travel should opt for another trail. The track is for high speeds, challenging one’s skill level, and racing. The track consists of:

­ Sport Loop – A 2.6-mile loop for beginners.

­ Long Loop – A 6.9-mile loop, for experienced riders.

Technical Loop – A 1.1-mile loop experts only

Natural Resources

There are over 400 plant species within the Palo Verde-Saguaro upland desert ecosystems, mesquite bosques, and many natural water tanks, providing essential water for wildlife species. Some unique plants species include night-blooming cereus cacti and the Elephant tree, being the furthest north location of the Elephant tree and the only park with this species. The Park is also home to over 125 wildlife species, including jackrabbits, mule deer, coyotes, mountain lions, bobcats, and more notable species such as desert tortoise, desert iguana, chuckwallas, Gila monster, and an occasional migrating bighorn sheep.

Trails

White Tank Mountain Regional Park offers approximately 43.28-miles of excellent shared-use trails, ranging in length from 0.9-miles to 7.9-miles, and difficulty from easy to strenuous. Overnight backpacking, with a permit, is allowed in established backcountry campsites. Day hikes can provide some breathtaking views of the mountains and panoramas of the Valley below. Horseback and mountain bike riders are welcome, although some trails may be extremely difficult.

In addition, there are 2.5-miles of pedestrian-only trails. These include two short trails that are hard-surfaced and barrier-free. Waterfall Trail is barrier-free approximately half a mile. The handicap-accessible portion now ends about 0.1-mile past Petroglyph Plaza. The short loop of Black Rock Trail, which is about 1/2-mile long, begins at Ramada 4.

Author’s note: The Sponsors corner will highlight a new park each month for the next several months. To help you all become familiar with the amazing parks that Maricopa County has to offer.

About the author: Juanita Armstrong is the Natural Resource Specialist with Maricopa County Parks and Recreation and the recipient of the 2021 Ironwood Award.

A Leopard Frog is a Leopard Frog, right?

By K. M. McCoy

When discussing species, a lot of information is packed into a name, perhaps more than most of us wish to know. As a result, we tend to use more friendly common but sometimes not accurate designations. At the very basic level, a little research will save a lot of confusion. Take the example of these charming leopard frogs. One has the scientific label of Rana berlandieri, but the other, also frequently referred to as leopard frog, is Rana chiricahuensis. They are both frogs, but the native chiricahuensis is on the threatened and endangered species list whereas the berlandieri is expanding its range.

Due to dwindling numbers, the Chiricahua leopard frog is listed and protected under the Endangered Species Act. This species has vanished from more than 80 percent of its former habitat. Valiant attempts are being made to increase the number of populations of the native Chiricahua leopard frog.

In contrast, the Rio Grande leopard frog population was introduced from western Texas or southeastern New Mexico to the lower Colorado River or to the lower Gila River in southwestern Arizona entering Arizona in the 1960s or 70s. It has since expanded its range into southeastern California and central Arizona. The only list this leopard frog is likely to make is on the dinner menu of various predators, including raccoons, foxes, snakes, birds, and frogs.

Author’s note: Many thanks to Jim Rorabaugh for consultation and photos of the Rio Grande Leopard Frog.

To learn more, link to:

Chiricahua leopard frog https: //ecos.fws.gov/ecp/species [1516]

Rio Grande leopard frog: http://www.californiaherps.com/frogs/pages/l.berlandieri.html

Una Rana Leopardo es una Rana Leopardo, ¿Verdad?

Al discutir unas especies, mucha información se empaca en un nombre, quizás más información de la que nosotros queremos saber. Como resultado, tenemos una tendencia a usar designaciones más amables y comunes, pero a veces no son exactas. Al un nivel muy básico, una pequeña investigación te ahorrara de mucha confusión. Toma el ejemplo de estas encantadoras ranas leopardo. Una tiene el nombre científico de rana Berlandieri, pero la otra, también frecuentemente se llama rana leopardo, es Rana chiricahuensis. Ambas son ranas, pero la chiricahuensis nativa está en la lista de las especies en peligro de extinción mientras que la berlandieri está ampliando su gama.

Debido a la disminución de los números, las ranas leopardo Chiricahua enlistadas y protegidas por el Endangered Species Act. Esas especies han desaparecido de más de 80% de su hábitat pasado. Intentos valientes se están haciendo para aumentar el número de poblaciones de la rana Chiricahun nativa.

En contraste, la población de la Rana Leopardo del Río Bravo fue traída de oeste de Texas o de sureste de Nuevo México al Bajo Río Colorado y al Bajo Río Gila en el suroeste de Arizona en algún tiempo en los 60s o 70s. Ahora parecen estar saliendo de su nativo Nuevo México. La única Rana del Rio Bravo ha expandido su rango al de sureste California y Arizona central. La lista donde es probable que esta rana esté, es el menú cena de varios predadores, incluyendo los mapaches, los zorros, las serpientes, los pájaros y otras ranas.

Para aprender más, por favor, entra al enlace:

To learn more, link to:

Chiricahua leopard frog https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/species/1516

Rio Grande leopard frog file:///C:/Users/Kathleen%20McCoy/Downloads/Life_history_of_the_Rio_Grande_leopard_frog_Lithob.pdf

About the author: K. M. McCoy is a Master Naturalist, a Master Gardener, and a lifelong student of Spanish

Sonoran Desert Tortoise: Turtle or Tortoise?

By Chyenne Dubiach

The Sonoran Desert Tortoise (Gopherus morafkai) is one of two desert tortoises that you might see in Arizona, they are fascinating desert survivors with many unique adaptations. Desert Tortoises are diurnal turtles that can be active any time of the year. Did you know that all tortoises are turtles but not all turtles are tortoises? These ectotherms use burrows that they dig themselves or modify existing burrows as shelter from extreme desert temperatures. Join Jeff and me to learn more about this fascinating species where we will cover the natural history of turtles and tortoises, their unique anatomy, life habits, behaviors, and how they make a living in one of the driest regions on Earth. These elusive and captivating distinctive desert dwellers are well worth an in-depth look with AZGFD wildlife biologists. To register for Wild About Arizona: In-Depth Look at Why Desert Tortoises Are Fascinating virtual lecture, go to this link: https://www.register-ed.com/events/view/171823

Interested in adopting a desert tortoise? The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) has a special program for adopting captive desert tortoises that were surrendered to us primarily due to illegal breeding, individuals moving out of state or a change in housing. Awareness seems to be increasing recently about the plight of the desert tortoise, especially those that are captive. While desert tortoise numbers appear to be declining in the wild, the number of tortoises being held in captivity is increasing at an alarming rate. Just like cats and dogs, there are currently more desert tortoises available for adoption in Arizona than there are homes willing to have one as a pet. Once captive, desert tortoises cannot be released back into the wild because captive animals can pass on diseases or pathogens to wild tortoise populations. Currently, the Desert Tortoise Adoption Program has over 150 tortoises available for adoption. Each year AZGFD adopts out hundreds of captive desert tortoises that are surrendered to the Department. Desert tortoises are nontraditional pets but are fascinating animals. Families can gain an appreciation of desert wildlife by caring for a tortoise and watching its natural behavior. If you are interested in adopting a desert tortoise, please go to: www.azgfd.gov/tortoise.se, please go to: www.azgfd.gov/tortoise.

About the author: Cheyenne Dubiach is the Wildlife Viewing Program Coordinator and Jeff Meyers is the Wildlife Viewing Program Manager for Arizona Game and Fish Department.

From a culinary aspect, one of the more interesting species found in the southwest are the chili peppers, Capsicum spp. Most of us are familiar with two species of this plant, C. annuum and C. chinense. C. annuum is the species from which were bred jalapeños and related chili peppers, C. chinense is the habañero and related peppers. These domesticated peppers, along with a handful of wild species, are famous for the strong, hot flavor of their fruits. While they cannot burn you, the sensation of pain is more than enough to convince most that their mouth is on fire. This heat is from compounds the plant makes called capsaicinoids, mostly capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin. The discovery of how they fool our sense of taste led to the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

In the wild, peppers are attacked by a small hemipteran, a bug. Like all true bugs, this insect has piercing mouthparts that it uses to gain nutrition from the fruits. The damage can introduce disease- causing fungus which will destroy the seeds. Capsaicin has antifungal properties not a friend to the fungus. The stronger the capsaicin, the fewer bugs. A strong correlation exists between the occurrence of these insects and the hotness of wild chili pepper fruits (C. chacoense)

Are there other reasons the plant would benefit from having fruits full of capsaicin? The obvious answer is to deter animals from eating the fruits, and this at first appears to be what the pepper plants wants. In actuality, the plant wants certain animals to eat its fruit, but not others. If a rodent, e.g., packrats and kangaroo mice did eat a chili fruit, the seeds would be digested and not survive. To increase survival of its seeds, the chili produces fruit that tastes excruciatingly hot to the mammals...a great deterrent. both rodent species will not eat chili peppers, even if given mild ones.

What about birds? Birds that might encounter a chili fruit would include the curve-billed thrasher and the cactus wren. If one of these creatures eats a chili fruit, the seeds pass intact through the animal and are thus dispersed conveniently to the soil. From an evolutionary standpoint the heat of capsaicin is only experienced by mammal. Birds do not taste the same way the rodents do. Researchers found that thrashers regularly consume chili fruits. Scientists call this the directed deterrence hypothesis-the plant is trying to deter certain fruit eating animals, but not others.

All research on directed deterrence unfortunately makes us humans look a little foolish. Here we have a plant that has evolved a compound that makes a mammal feel like its mouth is on fire. The pain is so strong that rodents will not touch the fruits. But humans, Homo sapiens, cultivate hotter and hotter varieties with the expressed desire to eat them and suffer. This behavior would seem to contradict that ‘wise man’ moniker (Homo sapiens) given to our species.

https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2021/press-release/

Tewksbury, Joshua J; Nabhan, Gary P. Directed deterrence by capsaicin in chillies. Nature; London Vol. 412, Iss. 6845, (Jul 26, 2001): 403-4. DOI:10.1038/35086653

https://www-pnas-org.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/doi/pdf/10.1073/pnas.0802691105

https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?tid=5248&clid=0&pid=20&taxauthid=1

About the author: About the author: Ken Sweat is a Principal Lecturer at Arizona State University's West Campus School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences.

The following fruits were grown at ASU West for researchUniversity's West Campus School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences.

A Case for Cobwebs

By Alexis Woods

Hummingbird nests are rarely seen in nature. Hummingbird moms typically build their tiny nests high above the ground as well-concealed, well-camouflaged little marvels. The nest is constructed to be expandable, hugging the baby birds as they grow. Twigs, bits of leaves, and plant fibers make up the spongy, velvety nest, with spider silk used to not only hold the nest together, but also to anchor it to its base. The spider silk is what gives the nest its elasticity. Hummingbirds typically lay two eggs, which incubate for 15 to 18 days. The baby hummingbirds leave the nest 18 to 28 days after hatching.

Imagine my surprise when I noticed a tiny nest cradling two baby hummingbirds in my own yard on a metal garden sculpture! In the photo, you can see how the hummingbird mom used the spider silk to hold the nest secure to the sculpture. You may have taken care to choose plants for your own yard with the tubular flowers favored by hummingbirds, but also consider the very important role of recycled spider silk! Instead of tidying up and sweeping away spent spider webs outside your house, consider leaving them as they are. A hummingbird mom-to-be would love to come take them for her nest!

To learn more about attracting these resourceful and delightful little birds to your yard, visit https://www.audubon.org/content/how-create-humming

About the author: Alexis Woods is a master naturalist, master gardener, and a practicing physician.

A Treasure of the Sierra Madre (and Arizona, too)

By Jeff Babson

Southern Arizona is well-known as a mecca for birders, a place where the Sierra Madre Occidental, Chihuahuan Desert, Sonoran Desert, and the Rocky Mountains come together, bringing their flora and fauna with them. Birders have been known to drool at the mere mention of birds like Buff-collared Nightjar, Elegant Trogon, White-eared Hummingbird, Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Red-faced Warbler, and many others. Right up there in the pantheon of Arizona birding is a common, strikingly colored, and frenetically active bird – the Painted Redstart (Myioborus pictus).

Jet black with a white crescent below the eye, a white wing panel, and a bright red belly make the Painted Redstart not only beautiful but instantly recognizable. The tail is black with white outer tail feathers. Juveniles are like adults in coloration but lack the red belly.

The black and white coloration of the wings and tail is not only stylish it is also functional. As they forage in trees for insects, Painted Redstarts often fan their tail and flick their wings. Analysis of high-speed video recorded in the Chiricahua mountains led ornithologists to determine that the frequent tail and wings movements serve a specific purpose. They concluded that the sudden appearance of black and white elicited an escape response in insects. Essentially the birds were scaring their lunch into their bills!

Painted Redstarts are common in mountain drainages throughout southeastern Arizona in pine-oak and pine woodlands during the breeding season at elevations between about 3,500 and 7,500 feet. Pairs will often have territories only about 100 yards apart. After breeding individuals wander widely from valley riparian woodlands to 9,000 feet or higher. A few individuals stick around through the winter months but most head south to northwestern Mexico or farther south to northern Nicaragua.

One of 50 species in its family (Parulidae) breeding in North America, Painted Redstarts are warbler that don’t have ‘warbler’ in their name. The rather odd common name ‘Redstart’ comes from the German rothstert, meaning ‘red tail,’ which is a problem because M. pictus does not have such a feature. The name was originally attributed to American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla), another member of the warbler family. It was applied to Painted Redstart in the mistaken belief that the two species are related. Despite not being particularly closely related American and Painted Redstarts do share similar foraging behavior and largely black coloration. The American Ornithological Society (AOS) has not quite got around to changing the common name for well over 100 years.

This beautiful bird was scientifically described in 1827 by English naturalist and artist William Swainson, from specimens collected in Hidalgo state in Mexico. Painted Redstarts range in the US from central and southeastern Arizona to central New Mexico and the Big Bend region of Texas.

To learn more about the Painted Redstart, try this link: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Painted_Redstart/id

About the author: Jeff Babson is a naturalist who conducts private field trips re: birds, butterflies, dragonflies, and general natural history. He also is Wildlife Viewing Program Specialist for Pima County Department of Natural Resources, Parks, and Recreation. Contact him (jeff@skyislandtours.com) for additional information.

To Prospective Contributers:

Objective: The MCPMN Newsletter is a forum for members to share information about the natural world and to educate others with this knowledge. Although we cannot gaurantee publication of every submission, all members and nonmembers are encouraged to submit articles, photos, or other relevant items related to the natural world. Our deadline is the 10th of the month, e.g., June 10 to be included in the August newsletter.

Contact K.M. McCoy at Kathleen.mccoy@asu.edu for specific submission guidelines.