The Elusive Peebles Navajo Cactus: A Conservation Mystery
Hidden in plain sight, the Peebles Navajo Cactus is a master of disguise. Standing at less than 3 centimeters in height, it blends seamlessly with its gritty surroundings, making it nearly invisible to the untrained eye.
Since the 1980s, the Museum of Northern Arizona has been keeping tabs on this federally endangered species. The challenge lies in its size and camouflage, prompting researchers to employ innovative tracking methods.
In 2023, the team introduced Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags, commonly used for pet microchips, to track these minute plants. Given the cactus’s diminutive size, the tags, which are as small as a sharp pencil point, were placed in the soil beside each plant. Although PIT tags are rarely used in flora, they have been utilized by Saguaro National Park to prevent cactus theft, a shared threat to both the Peebles Navajo Cactus and saguaros.
Two years prior, researchers tagged 21 cacti in a known habitat. Upon returning a year later, all tags were found, but only 11 plants remained visible. The others had either perished or vanished.
In 2025, the team revisited the site and found 11 tagged cacti: eight were previously recorded, two resurfaced after being “missing,” and a new seedling was discovered. Even with PIT tags, locating the cacti proved difficult, as they might retreat underground or hide beneath rocks.
These tags represent a novel approach to monitoring this elusive cactus, offering insights into whether the missing plants are truly gone or simply concealed gems.
This Earth Note was written by Danika Thiele and produced by KNAU and the Sustainable Communities Program at Northern Arizona University.
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