Surveyors sometimes crawl up steep brushy canyons or dig into lush vegetation on the hunt for montane or rare plants.

 photos Courtesy National Park Service

When you think of Saguaro National Park — sprawling mountain reserves on the east and west ends of Tucson — you may think of cactus. But probably not orchids.

However, the Thurber’s bog orchid is one of nine montane and rare plants recently rediscovered in the park’s Rincon Mountain District — plants previously considered extirpated (locally extinct). These plants were missing in the last extensive Rincon survey (done in 1982-84 and published in 1987) but recently found in a National Park Service survey.

“Orchid is not a plant you use in the same sentence as Saguaro National Park,” quipped Don Swann, Saguaro biologist. Surveyors also discovered new springs and more than 30 plants never previously recorded, most of which are native. This included another orchid species.

Thurber’s bog orchid (Plantanthera limosa) was among montane plants rediscovered on Mica Mountain previously thought to be possibly extirpated (locally extinct).

Park staff have been concerned about losing plants from climate change and extended drought.

“As the park biologist for 30 years, I have wanted to do this for some time,” Swann said.

Lower elevation vegetation has been studied, particularly Saguaro cactus (which the park was established to preserve) but Swann wanted to study higher elevation natural resources. “The National Park Service mission is to protect species, so losing species is something we take seriously.”

Hardy technicians, seasonal workers, and other employees combed canyons and north slopes of Mica Mountain, the highest point in the Rincons, in spring and summer 2017-2020. (A sixth survey began this spring with new funding.)

Red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea) was among montane plants rediscovered on Mica Mountain previously thought to be possibly extirpated (locally extinct).

Several “moisture-loving, cold-loving” species were found along seeps on Chimenea Creek above Manning Camp, a historic former private summer home complex built by Levi Manning in 1905 on a homestead claim. It’s now the Park Service summer headquarters for high country field work and adjacent to backpacker campsites reserved by the public.

The creek was dammed in 1960 to provide a permanent Manning water source, eliciting concerns about potentially eliminated species. However, two “rediscovered” species, red osier dogwood and thin leaf alder, were found in moist areas in upper reaches of the creek.

Other plants use shade and lingering snow beneath towering rocks on Mica. Helen’s Dome, a prominent rock outcrop visible from Tucson, offered a home for Porter’s melic grass on a forested north slope. Ravine fescue, another perennial grass, was scattered along the base of the massive Spud Rock outcrop.

Saguaro biological technician Dan Beckman has led the surveys. The most focus was on areas around Manning, Helen’s Dome, Italian Spring and Deer Head Spring, all within day hiking distance of Manning.

Saguaro’s mule packer and mule team packed up supplies, food and equipment for each survey, which often went five to eight days.

In a report published last summer, Beckman wrote that the high elevation plant community may be more stable than previously believed, offering “hope that remaining lost plants may be rediscovered.”

“Results of Surveys for Potentially Extirpated Plants in High Elevations of the Rincon Mountain District, Saguaro National Park, 2017-2020,” was published in “Desert Plants” 37:1 in July 2021, a Boyce Thompson Arboretum publication.

The report notes the nine “rediscovered” plants of 14 thought to be extirpated. The report gives a brief history of plant surveys in the area, methods for this project and discussion on findings.

The project, funded by Friends of Saguaro National Park, began in 2013. Staff consulted old surveys and studies; the oldest dating to 1891. The survey by Janice Bowers and Steven McLaughlin, (“Flora and Vegetation of the Rincon Mountains, Pima County Arizona,” Desert Plants 8:51-94), initially identified 41 “excluded species” which “have not been collected in the Rincon Mountains during … this project and might no longer occur there,” according to the report.

Survey crews often found water pockets, seeps or previously unknown springs.

Surveyors checked this list against online databases, a U.S. Geological Survey Rincons survey and the University of Arizona herbarium which has plant collections from earlier surveys. They were able to reduce the potentially missing plants list from 41 to 14 by removing from consideration six nonnative species, six species found at lower elevations that were not montane, others that had been misidentified and two reported that were never documented.

“We had the advantage of trying to look for specific species that were not found in the last survey but were thought to possibly still be around,” park biologist Don Swann noted. “So, we could fairly narrowly focus. Also, we had more resources; leveraging interns, other survey technicians and even wilderness rangers who are up on the mountain during the season.”

Surveyors were given laminated species cards with photos, key identifying features and botanical descriptions. Records and notes from surveys in other nearby mountain ranges helped the plant detectives know where to look.

Newly found Rincon plants include the Michoacan lady orchid (Dichromanthus michuacanus).

Beckman, a self-trained botanist is leading a new round of surveys this year covering areas off trail around Rincon Peak which are too far for day hikes from Manning.

“We will do six backpack trips, mostly cross country in rough terrain through catclaw mimosa, manzanita and shin daggers” (vegetation notorious to Arizona hikers), Beckman said. “We have some hardy interns and I personally love gnarly exploratory backpacking.”

Surveyors will make day trips up canyons from the defunct Madrona Ranger Station (closed to the public by private homes on the former X-9 Ranch property but open to the Park Service.)

Western National Parks Association and Wild Tribute are funding the new phase.

Citizen scientists

Beckman also hopes to enlist more “citizen scientists” to help identify plants. iNaturalist, a digital platform for naturalists and biologists around the world to share observations, now includes Beckman’s project Plants of the Saguaro NP High Country (tucne.ws/saguaroplants). There, you can see hundreds of plants already identified and click on “About” and “read more” for a description of the project and how to participate.

Rincon visitors can sign up for a free iNaturalist account (inaturalist.org) or use an iNaturalist app on their phone (check out a tutorial at inaturalist.org/posts/50206-learning-the-basics-phone-app), then post photos of mid- to high elevation plant species in the Rincons.

Observations for the area (some posted before the new project) include photos of 693 plant species from 150 “observers” and named by “identifiers” including Beckman and hundreds of other “plant geeks.”

Newly found Rincon plants include the pipsissewa (Chimaphila umbellata).

Since Arizona Trail thru-hikers are the largest segment of yearly visitors to Rincon high country, “we’d like to get more Arizona Trail hikers involved,” Beckman said.

“We’d like to get people involved with learning about plants,” Swann added. “The Sky Islands (high elevation mountains in Southern Arizona including the Rincons and Santa Catalinas) are one of the most amazing places in the country.”

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