Biosphere 2

10/21/2026

Bird Where You Are: Accessible Bird Sit at Biosphere 2

Saturday, Oct. 24th | 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Cost: FREE (General admission required only if staying for the Biosphere 2 Tour)
 
In celebration of Birdability Week 2026, Biosphere 2 is hosting its first-ever accessible bird sit! Whether you live with a disability, a chronic health condition, or simply prefer to bird from a comfortable seat, this casual event is for you.
We’ll be hanging out on our flat Visitor Center and Café Patios next to our active feeders. Come help us spot gorgeous Scrub Jays, Northern Cardinals, finches, Wild Turkeys, and raptors without the need to walk long trails. Bring your curiosity no prior birding experience necessary!

10/21/2026

What can a cacao tree tell us about drought? 🌿🍫

In Episode 3 of Stories from the Living Lab, we step back into the Biosphere 2 Rainforest with NSF REU student Taylor Baugh to explore how the trees behind chocolate manage water—day and night.

During a two-week drought, Taylor uses the LI-COR LI-600 to study how cacao leaves regulate water loss at two canopy levels. Sap flow sensors, instruments tracking tiny changes in stem diameter, and water potential measurements help her piece together how these trees respond as water becomes scarce.

It’s hands-on student research exploring a question with global relevance: how does cacao cope with drought?

Built on nearly twenty years of collaboration between Biosphere 2 and LI-COR Environmental, this series brings you closer to the people and tools behind the science.

▶️ Watch Episode 3 of Stories from the Living Lab.

DroughtResearch PlantScience NSFREU UndergraduateResearch ScienceCommunication

10/21/2026

What happens to the trees behind your favorite chocolate when water becomes scarce? Inside Biosphere 2, a student researcher is exploring how cacao trees respond to drought—from daylight into the night.

In Episode 3 of Stories from the Living Lab, we return to the Rainforest biome with NSF REU student Taylor Baugh, who is studying how cacao trees manage water during a two-week drought.

Using the LI-COR LI-600, Taylor measures leaves at two different canopy levels to understand how they regulate water loss through tiny pores called stomata. These pores allow carbon dioxide into the leaf, but also let water escape—making them an important part of how plants respond to dry conditions.

She pairs these measurements with sensors that track sap flow and small changes in stem diameter, along with measurements of water potential to assess how much stress the trees experience. Together, these tools help her investigate how cacao’s water use changes between day and night as the rainforest dries.

For nearly twenty years, Biosphere 2 and LI-COR Environmental have partnered to explore how living systems work. This episode highlights how that collaboration also supports hands-on student research into questions relevant to agriculture around the world.

Join Taylor for a behind-the-scenes look at the science of water, drought, and chocolate!

10/20/2026

The Mexican Flame Vine is setting the desert biome ablaze with its fiery blooms. The Mexican Flame Vine likes full sun and warmer climates. The Flame Vine attracts all types of pollinations from bees to hummingbirds. This fast growing vine is thriving in the desert biome and putting on quite a show.

10/19/2026

Thank you to everyone that visited the Biosphere 2 booth Tucson Meet Yourself ! We can’t wait to have you visit us at Biosphere 2.

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10/16/2026

Some of our red mangrove are growing their seeds and have grown their first root. When still on the tree the red mangrove seed will grow its first embryonic root then will drop off the tree into the mud planting itself where it will then become the next generation of mangroves.

10/15/2026

Our Silk floss tree is starting to show off its unique flowers. The Silk Floss Tree is native to Tropical South America and typically blooms from February to May but since we’re in North America this blooming seasons is flipped! When this tree produces fruit inside there is silky floss (that’s where it gets the name) which can be use for packaging and pillow stuffing. Come see this stunning tree in bloom!

10/14/2026

Bird Where You Are: Accessible Bird Sit at Biosphere 2

Saturday, Oct. 24th | 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Cost: FREE (General admission required only if staying for the Biosphere 2 Tour)
 
In celebration of Birdability Week 2026, Biosphere 2 is hosting its first-ever accessible bird sit! Whether you live with a disability, a chronic health condition, or simply prefer to bird from a comfortable seat, this casual event is for you.
We’ll be hanging out on our flat Visitor Center and Café Patios next to our active feeders. Come help us spot gorgeous Scrub Jays, Northern Cardinals, finches, Wild Turkeys, and raptors without the need to walk long trails. Bring your curiosity no prior birding experience necessary!

10/13/2026

10/12/2026

The Thornscrub at Biosphere 2 is a biome to show off the nursery trees that help many plants in the desert thrive. Because even cacti sometimes need help growing in desert. These nurse trees help provide shade and nutrience that give many plants the chance to grow. The reason why these nurse trees are so good at supporting growth is because in the root system has a beneficial fungi called mychorrhizal fungi. This fungi is really good at seeking out water and nutrients which helps itself and other plants grow!