Event Categories: Environment

We are happy to inform you that after a two-year hiatus, the Executive Committee of the Tucson Chapter has decided to bring back the Monsoon Mixer Event. The Monsoon Mixer will take place on Friday, August 12th, at 6:30 pm at the Mercado Annex, located at 267 South Avenida del Convento. We have rented the outdoor event space at the Mercado Annex, so there will be plenty of room to mingle or socially distance as you see fit. There are three restaurants and a very well-supplied bar, all outdoors, and all located around this complex, so there will be ample choices for food and libations.

Most importantly, this event is about coming together and forging relationships with your fellow native plant enthusiasts! This event is open to all, so please invite friends, family, and anyone you think may be interested in what your local chapter of the AZNPS has to offer. We are pleased to be facilitating this event and offering more opportunities to come together in person around our shared love of Arizona’s fascinating flora.

Looking forward to seeing you all in person, and swapping stories about the last two years of gardening, botanizing, habitat restoration, and so on!

As the title noted, instead of our typical silent auction from prior years, we will be holding a plant swap featuring plants, plant books, and botanical art.  To this end, if you have items that you would like to bring to exchange with fellow plant lovers then please do. We want to make sure that all items relate to our mission of educating people about the native flora of Arizona so a few guidelines are offered below.

-For plants, we ask that people only bring species that occur in the Southwestern US and Northern Mexico and preference is for plants native to Arizona. So on that note please DO NOT BRING NON-NATIVE SPECIES (i.e. Aloe, Echevaria, African Euphorbia species). If you are not sure if your plant is native feel free to email and check with us.

-In terms of books, we want literature focused on Arizona, the Sonoran Desert, and the Sky Islands. Books related to gardening or botany in the wider Borderlands region are acceptable but an Arizona focus is preferred.

-For botanical art, again, our focus is on the flora and landscapes of Arizona so please stay within this theme.

Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions.

Evenings during the summer monsoon season are among the liveliest for local wildlife. This is true at Mission Garden–frogs hop into our canal, nighthawks fly over, bats forage for insects, and you never know what else you’ll find.

Every year in August Mission Garden invites experts from wildlife agencies, local non-profits, and the University of Arizona to come teach about wildlife in our area: mammals, insects, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and more. Some of them bring live animals. Whether the Gila topminnows in our canal, our flying friends, or those slithering by, we celebrate and learn about them all!

Direct questions to kendall@missiongarden.org.

This is a kid-friendly event! Mission Garden educators will be at some of our Bookworm Path locations showing off books about wildlife and other activities for kids.

This year, presenters include:

Dennis Caldwell of Caldwell Design, Mission Garden canal designer and fish and frog expert
Ken Kingsley, entomologist
Master Naturalists
Elise Lauterbur, bat expert
Elena Martin, teacher and microbiology expert
Watershed Management Group
Sonoran Institute
Tucson Herpetological Society
Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation Environmental Education staff
Sky Island Alliance
We recommend bringing a flashlight and a water bottle to refill at one of our water stations.

Event is free with a suggested $5 donation at the garden gate.