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Friday - Saturday Overnight Fern Foray


FULL Lycophytes and Ferns of the Madera Canyon

Cost:  150.00

July 26th Friday - Leaving Starr Pass at noon returning Saturday, July 27th at 5:00 pm

Overnight at Santa Rita Experimental Station

Surrounded by desert seas, the Madrean Sky Island archipelago connects the flora and fauna of the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Madre Occidental of northern Mexico. The Santa Rita Mountains in southern Arizona is one of the largest ranges in the U.S. at about 30 miles long by 20 miles wide at its widest point and acts as the northern range limit for many plant and animal species including jaguars and barking frogs (Craugastoridae). We will visit and hike in Madera Canyon which is a large north facing canyon on the west slope of the range. We will transect its vegetation communities from desert grassland through Madrean oak, juniper, and pine into the ponderosa pine forest, primarily following riparian corridors. Throughout our trip, we will focus on pteridophytes and their habitats. After our hike, we will stay overnight at Santa Rita Experimental Station operated by the University of Arizona.  On Saturday we will drive to the Catalina Mountains and meet up with the participants of the “Lycophytes and Ferns of the Catalina Mountains” field trip, observing plants at several stops along the Mt. Lemmon highway. 

No collecting

Includes lodging, Friday dinner, Saturday breakfast, and lunch, water bottle

Be sure to have sturdy shoes, sunscreen, and hiking sticks. Day pack.     

Maximum participants: 21 people           

Trip Leaders: Emily Sessa, University of Florida and Douglas Moore, Arizona Native Plant Society and Friends of Madera Canyon