Southwest Monarch Study - 1) To identify and describe the migration and breeding patterns of Monarch Butterflies (Danaus plexippus) in the Western United States. 2) To monitor and encourage Monarch Butterfly conservation. 3) To provide a meaningful research project for citizen scientists of all ages.

• Events
• Call to Action
• Fall Migration
• Milkweed
• Project Monarch
• Monarch Habitat Restoration on Public Lands
• Arizona Planting Guides
  • Low Desert
  • Middle Elevation
  • High-Elevation

If you have a nonproft or other group with a conservation/eco focus in Arizona you'd like to spotlight, please share it below!

Resources:

• UofA AZ Invasive Plants
• ASU Library

It was fun seeing this little cutie enjoying the milkweed this morning!

Arizona Sustainability Alliance (AZSA) - To create and support cutting-edge, project-based sustainability solutions in Arizona

• Events
• Volunteer Information
• Videos
• Urban Forestry Resource Hub

If you have a nonproft or other group with a conservation/eco focus in Arizona you'd like to spotlight, please share it below!

Resources:

• UofA AZ Invasive Plants
• AZNPS: Grow Native, Don't Be A Pest!
• AZ Game & Fish
• National Park Service
• Friends of the Verde River

Resources:

• AMWUA
• Southwest Desert Flora
• Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

White Tank Mountains Conservancy - Our mission is to inspire all to learn about, protect, connect, and act to conserve, sustain, and enjoy the White Tank Mountains.

• Education & Programs
• Speakers Series
• Youth to Mountains
• Events
• Volunteer & Stewardship

If you have a nonproft or other group with a conservation/eco focus in Arizona you'd like to spotlight, please share it below!

Resources:

• UofA Invasive Plants
• Field Guide for Managing Giant Reed in the Southwest
• Restoring Rivers by Removing Arundo
• AZPM, Invasive Species: Arundo (YouTube)
• ANPS, Grow Native: Don't be a Pest!

Find upcoming 2026 fall plant sales across Arizona here! I'll continue adding information as it becomes available.

Please share any missing plant sales in the comments with a link.

Phoenix & Central AZ

October 17 - November 1, 2026: Boyce Thompson Arboretum Fall Plant Sale

• Boyce Thompson Arboretum’s Fall Plant Sale is the perfect time to pick up new trees, shrubs, perennials, and more for your garden or landscape. The plant sale features an array of plants from around the world, including native plants and plants native to the southwestern states and northern Mexico. These plants are better adapted to a climate like ours, making them more sustainable and water-wise.
• The Fall Plant Sale will be open to the public from October 17-November 1 from 8 am – 5 pm.
• BTA Members receive 20% off the sale and get early access on October 16.
• https://btarboretum.org/event/fall-plant-sale-2026/

October 22 - 26, 2026: Desert Botanical Garden 50th Annual Plant Sale

• Member VIP Shopping Experience and Member Day, Oct. 22.
• General Public, Oct. 23-26.
• 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Free – no tickets or reservations required
• https://dbg.org/50th-anniversary-plant-sale/

October 24, 2026: UofA Cooperative Extension Maricopa County Fall Festival & Plant Sale

• Hosted by Maricopa County Master Gardeners and Metro Tech High School
• The 24th annual Fall Festival & Plant Sale event, will be on Saturday, October 24, 2026, hosted by the Maricopa County Master Gardener program in collaboration with the Metro Tech High School. The event will be from 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. located at Metro Tech High School, 1900 W. Thomas in Phoenix, AZ.
• https://extension.arizona.edu/events/2026-fall-festival-plant-sale

Tucson & Southern AZ

September 26, 2026: Borderlands Nursery & Seed Fall Plant Sale

• Join us at Borderlands Nursery & Seed on Saturday, September 26, from 9 AM to 2 PM, to shop our selection of native plants, organically grown from locally sourced seed, with vendors and music.
• Enjoy a 10% discount on all plants and seeds, and a 20% discount for Restoration Partners & Founders Circle members.
• 37 San Antonio Rd, Patagonia, AZ 85624-6005, United States
• https://www.borderlandsplants.org/events

October 3 - 11, 2026: Desert Survivors Fall Plant Sale

• 8AM - 4PM everyday
• 10% off all plants
• https://desertsurvivors.org/event/fall-sale-2/

October 16 - 18, 2026: Tohono Chul Fall Plant Sale

• Fall is one of the best times to plant in the Sonoran Desert! Find new additions for your garden during Tohono Chul’s Fall Plant Sale, featuring a diverse selection of desert-adapted plants suited to our region’s unique growing conditions. Tohono Chul members receive exclusive first access during Members’ Day on Friday, October 16, plus 10% off all plant purchases. The sale opens to the public on Saturday and continues Sunday morning, with no admission fee required to shop.
• Dates & Times:
  • Friday, October 16 | Members’ Day | 8 AM–2 PM
  • Saturday, October 17 | Public Sale | 8 AM–2 PM
  • Sunday, October 18 | Public Sale | 9 AM–12 PM
• Admission: Friday is exclusively for Tohono Chul members. No admission fee is required to shop the public sale on Saturday or Sunday.
• Member Discount: Tohono Chul members save 10% on all plant purchases.
• https://tohonochul.org/event/fall-plant-sale-2026/

October 24, 2026: UA Cooperative Extension Pima County Fall Plant Sale

• The sale will run from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. We’ll have a “fabulous selection of plants, cacti, and succulents, perennials, and a wide variety of water-wise plantings well suited for our Tucson area.”
• 4210 N. Campbell Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719.
• https://extension.arizona.edu/events/fall-plant-sale-2026

Flagstaff & Northern AZ

No info

(The Arb Fall Plant Sale was on 9/12/26)

Friends of Sonoita Creek -  Our mission is to restore and protect the Sonoita Creek Watershed in southeastern Arizona through education, environmental monitoring, and advocacy of the biodiversity and health of the region.

• Events
• Hiking
• Birding
• Membership

If you have a nonproft or other group with a conservation/eco focus in Arizona you'd like to spotlight, please share it below!

Resources:

• AZNPS Grow Native, Don't be a Pest!
• UofA Cooperative Extension
• AZ Invasive Plants

Resources:

• AZNPS
• Southwest Desert Flora
• The American Southwest

The Arizona Native Plant Society -  To promote knowledge, appreciation, conservation, and restoration of Arizona native plants and their habitats.

• The Plant List
• Grow Native
• Chapters
• Plant Press Arizona
• Events

If you have a nonproft or other group with a conservation/eco focus in Arizona you'd like to spotlight, please share it below!

Resources:

• UofA Arizona Invasive Plants
• UofA Cooperative Extension

Resources:

• AZNPS
• UofA Campus Arboretum
• Water Use It Wisely
• Southwest Desert Flora

In honor of Planting for Monarch Month, I've created a flyer for the Phoenix area based on the City of Phoenix's Monarch Native Plant List. These plants are relatively easy to find in local nurseries and support Monarch Butterflies.

What you can do this September:

• Plant native species in early fall because it is the best time for them to grow.
• Add milkweed and other native nectar plants to support monarchs and other pollinators.
• Avoid using herbicides and pesticides on or near these plants to keep the caterpillars safe.

Additional Resources and Information:

• Arizona Native Plant List by the Arizona Native Plant Society
• Sonoran Desert Pollinator Plant Guide by the City of Phoenix
• Phoenix Monarch NATIVE Plant List (DRAFT) by the City of Phoenix
• Monarch & Milkweed: Nature's Magic! Activity Book by the City of Phoenix
• Maricopa Pollinator Pathway
• Monarch Waystation
• Participate in monarch butterfly mapping citizen science
• Participate in milkweed mapping citizen science
• Southwest Monarch Study
• Desert Botanical Garden - Monarch ButterFlies and Milkweeds
• Pollinator Conservation Resources: Southwest Region​
• AZ Monarch Collaborative Native Plant Sources
• A guide on butterfly gardening by the Central Arizona Butterfly Association
• Selecting Plants for Pollinators in the American Semidesert and Desert by The Pollinator Partnership

Edit: A lovely Redditor pointed out a previous classification of the Palo Verdo trees (Cercidium), thank you!

Blue Palo Verde - Parkinsonia florida
Foothill Palo Verde - Parkinsonia microphylla

Fall is right around the corner!

• Which native plants are you planning to add to your yard this season?
• Are you starting from seeds or buying container plants?
• Which local plant sales or nurseries are you visiting?

Share your plans for the fall below!

Desert Fence Busters -  Desert Fence Busters is a science-led initiative, backed by the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, the AZGFD wildlife connectivity assessment and other research into wildlife corridors, to remove legacy fencing that hinders the movement of wildlife between natural areas.
Note: All fencing removal is pre-approved by the municipality that owns the property.

After a unique partnership began more than a decade ago to share information between agencies on projects centered in Avra Valley west of the Tucson Mountains, it emerged that multiple land management agencies had outdated fencing that are impeding wildlife, with animal carcasses found hung up on barbed wire while attempting to jump or crawl through the fence.

In response to this problem, in December 2021, over 65 volunteers came together one morning to remove three miles of old fencing, including three tons of fence posts and wire fencing, from an area in northern Avra Valley. Removing this fencing is important to improve the critical wildlife linkage areas between Tucson Mountain Park, Saguaro National Park, Ironwood Forest National Monument, and the Tohono O’odham Nation.

According to Don Swann, a biologist at Saguaro National Park, “Many studies have shown that barbed wire fences can stop large animals, change their movement patterns, and keep them away from water and food sources they need to survive. Animals can also be killed trying to jump over a barbed wire fence if they become entangled and are not able to free themselves.”

“Some of these fences have been around for a hundred years and have no current purpose,” said Carolyn Campbell, Board Member of the conservation group Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection. “But what they do is block the movement of wildlife throughout the landscape.”

Volunteers from a suite of agencies and NGOs are involved, including the Arizona Game and Fish Department, Friends of Ironwood Forest, Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, National Park Service, Arizona Wildlife Federation, BKW, Tucson Audubon Society, and Friends of Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge.

• Events
• Volunteer
• Donate

If you have a nonproft or other group with a conservation/eco focus in Arizona you'd like to spotlight, please share it below!

Resources:

• UofA AZ Invasive Plants
• Non-Native, Invasive Plants of Arizona
• Pinal County
• How to Be a Weed Warrior, Chapter 1: Saharan Mustard (Youtube)
• Buy Bladderpod Seeds (Borderlands Nursery & Seed)