This dataset contains collection and specimen archive information for plant and arthropod tissue samples from the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge that are currently stored in The Museum of Southwestern Biology’s Division of Genomic Resources at the University of New Mexico. The purpose of the sample collection is to allow researchers in the future to do genetic or genomic work on archived historical samples collected at six-year intervals. Six dominant, foundation plant species are represented. Stored tissues include roots from Bouteloua eriopoda, Bouteloua gracilis, Larrea tridentata, and Machaeranthera pinnatifida, leaves from Juniperus monosperma, Larrea tridentata, and Pinus edulis, and seeds from Larrea tridentata. A few arthropods were collected opportunistically when they adhered to plant material brought back to the lab. Collection dates were from 9 October through 4 November 2019. Samples were collected within four core sites of the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, Socorro, NM: (Plains grassland: core_blue, Desert grassland: core_black, Desert shrubland: core_creosote, and Pinon-juniper woodland: core_PJ).