1) Fieldwork is good for the mind, body, and soul.
2) Study of real objects is one of the best ways to learn.
3) Frequent tests help you learn (about 1 a week).

This is a three hour class. There are essentially two labs mixed with a lecture each week on Fridays. Every other Friday we will spend the whole day in the field and make trips to various places in Arizona. The Fridays we are in town will consist of a lab in the morning and a lab in the afternoon with a break in the middle for lunch. In order to go to the Sedona-Flagstaff area there will be one 2-day field trip (a Friday and Saturday), staying at an economic motel in Flagstaff or camping if you prefer. The other Friday field trips will be to places such as the Pinal Mountains, Mt. Lemmon, Canyon Lake and Apache Trail, Horse Shoe Lake Road, Gila River Bottom, Hassayampa River Preserve and Joshua Tree Parkway. After the weather cools off a little, we will make four local field trips on Friday afternoons to South Mountain and Usery Mountain parks.

GRADING - Starting Sept. 5, each week there will be a quiz with ten plants. You will be required to know and spell correctly the scientific name and family for each plant for one point for each and 10 points per quiz. There will be a midterm and a final that will have many species to identify but the whole test will only count 30 points. There should be little reward for cramming the night before. Each all day field trip is required and will be worth 5 points per day of field trip. This all adds up to 210 points. I will throw out the worst quiz score (10 points) for a total of 200 points. 90% or better will be an A. 80-89 a B, etc.

Graduate students will be expected to do a special project that will count about 10% of their grade. Projects might include: 1) an investigation of a particular species problem; 2) a plant collection for the herbarium and this class; 3) a reproductive biology study; 4) learning 20 additional species and writing a handout for these; or 5) leading a 20 minute seminar on a paper of interest. Use your imagination and come up with your own project. A "first draft" of these projects should be ready by Thanksgiving.

DATE

ACTIVITY

Aug. 29

AM - Introduction, some basic botanical vocabulary for leaves and twigs, 15 species to learn from mountainous habitats (woodlands, chaparral, and conifer forests). PM - Some basic botanical vocabulary for flowers and fruits, about 15 more species of the mountains.

Sept. 5

8:30 AM to about 5 PM, Field trip to the Pinal Mountains.

Sept. 12

AM -Collecting herbarium specimens, making labels, importance of geo-referencing. About 15 more species of the mountains.
PM - What does sustainable use of natural resources mean? How does that apply to us? About 15 more species of the mountains.

Sept. 19-20

Two day field trip to Sedona, Flagstaff, San Francisco Peaks etc.

Sept. 26

AM - What is in a scientific name? Why do we sometimes disagree about names, or why do names change? About 10 species of southern Arizona.
PM - Biological classification, a human universal. About 10 more species of southern Arizona.

Oct. 3

Field Trip to Mt. Lemmon.

Oct. 10

AM - Lab 7: MIDTERM. About 10 desert species.
PM - Lab 8: Field trip to South Mountains, about 10 desert species.

Oct. 17

Field trip to Canyon Lake and Apache Trail to Fish Creek.

Oct. 24

AM -Studies of reproductive biology: Chilopsis linearis as an example. About 10 more species from the desert.
PM - Field trip to South Mountains, about 10 desert species.

Oct. 31

Field trip to Horse Shoe Lake Rd. and Verde River bottom.

Nov. 7

AM - Lab 11: Habitats of Arizona - where do trees and shrubs grow? Where did the plants of Arizona come from? About 10 desert species.
PM - Lab 12: Field Trip to Usery Mountains, about 10 desert species.

Nov. 14

Field Trip to Gila River Bottom etc.

Nov. 21

VACATION.

Nov. 28

AM - Lab 13: About 10 more species and review. Patten Herbal Collection.
PM - Lab 14: Field trip to South Mountains, about 10 more desert species.

Dec. 5

Field trip to Hassayampa River Preserve and Joshua Tree Parkway.

Dec. 12

HUGE TEST