Week 1 Phoenix-Tonto Briefing

Greetings fellows and fellettes of the desert. Yes, it was cold. Yes, it was windy. Yes, the 4X4 roads were very heinous. Yes, tents were flapping voraciously in the bitter night wind. Yes, our first plot was very much off a cliff into the Agua Fria Canyon. And yes, finally, on the morning of the 3rd day, we finished a plot!!!

ALERT!! it was plot 1488, an alternate, please note this and take 1488 off your list. Thanks...

We encountered many plants. The first plot was west of interstate 17 in the upper sonoran zone, and the flora there was markedly different than our second plot NE of Phoenix at McDowell Mtn Regional Park. (we got 1 plot done there). we found that biomass clipping, which we had at least 1 point at every subplot in both plots, took a pretty long time. we encountered red brome at both areas and at McDowell we encountered Schizmus barbatus as well. The picture below shows several schizmus's, very rich green, already producing seeds, and at times forming thick carpets of lush desert lawn.

FOR THE PLANT LIST FROM OUR WEEK CLICK HERE!!!