More Arizona Illustrated Nature and Environment Stories

Field Notes: Volcanoes

From the highest point in Arizona to deep underground, we explore landscapes transformed by volcanoes.

Arizona Cuisine

Chefs Brett Vibber and Jaren Bates are redefining Arizona cuisine through foraged ingredients, indigenous foods, and an innovative menu.

Solar Cooking

Saving money and energy may be as easy as turning to the sun as a cooking option.

Field Notes: Noguchi Garden

A tranquil oasis among freeways and shopping malls.

Desert Plants: Golden Fleece

The low growing shrub with yellow flowers thrives in the monsoon and attracts pollinators.

Packrat Time Machine

To many, packrats are a nuisance. But to the scientists that study them, they are a key to the past.

Sonoran Desert Toad Psychedelics

The Sonoran Desert Toad is endemic to the Sonoran Desert. Once plentiful in the region, the herpetological community is worried that it could now be overly exploited for the psychedelic substance it produces.

Beaver River

Tag along on recent efforts to reintroduce beavers to the San Pedro River in Southern Arizona and Northern Sonora.

Field Notes: Flowers

David Fenster visits Picacho Peak State Park to see this year’s superbloom. But he didn’t always like flowers.

Falconry Hunt

Falconry is an ancient sport that is practiced around the world. Four licensed falconers in Tucson started Sky Island Falconry Experience to share their love of hunting with birds of prey with the public.

Desert Plants: Baja Fairy Duster

Colorful, drought-tolerant and good for pollinators.

Desert Plants: Creosote

It has one of the most recognizable smells in the desert, it attracts dozens of different types of bees, and it might have been eaten by native camels thousands of years ago.

Anthropocene Who?

Meet Nika Kaiser and Erica Prather, two artists whose work is centered around issues relating to climate change and extinction.

Field Notes: Carrion Flower

Meet one of the stinkiest flowers on earth!

Desert Plants: Organ Pipe

The organ pipe cactus is native to Mexico and the United States where many can be found in their namesake national monument in western Pima County, Arizona.

Reclaimed Water

Ever wonder how sewage gets turned into clean water? Here is a behind the scenes peek at Tucson Water’s reclaimed water system and what that process looks like

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