Nature Notes
Why do rattlesnakes rattle and hummingbirds hum?
How do flowers market themselves to pollinators?
Why do tarantulas cross the road?
Nature Notes investigates questions like these about the natural world of the Chihuahuan Desert region and the Llano Estacado. Through interviews with scientists and field recordings, this Marfa Public Radio original series reveals the secrets of desert life.
Join host Dallas Baxter for new episodes on each week on Thursdays. Episodes are written and produced by Andrew Stuart and edited by Marfa Public Radio and the Sibley Nature Center in Midland, Texas.
Nature Notes is supported by Shield-Ayres Foundation.
Latest Episodes
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Four species of fox live in our region. Which ones have you seen -- here is how to tell the difference. -
For many people in the Chihuahuan Desert the smell of rain comes from creosote bush resins. Did you know it’s been used as medicine for centuries, is the ultimate survivorin southwestern American deserts, and is a great ornamental shrub for home landscapes in the region? -
The Chihuahuan Desert's northern boundary is the Pecos River. In places the Pecos is laden with salt. How does the river become naturally polluted with these salts? -
In wet years the usually bare ground of the desert is green with promise in the winter. Do you know some of the most common early wildflowers? Do you know the belly flowers? -
One of the more mysterious winter birds of the region is the Sage Thrasher. Have you ever stopped and scanned a brushy hillside for birds greeting the morning sun? Have you ever sat near a desert waterhole waiting for the birds to get their daily drink? -
Big Bend in spring is a favorite destination of many Texans. Do you know what plants and birds are found there? Have you ever driven the River Road? -
Four species of grebe can be found in the region. Have you ever watched grebes dive? -
The oil industry has often been demonized, but plentiful wildlife still abounds among the wells and equipment typical in the oil patch. Have you ever wondered how birds and animals can thrive in the middle of a sea of oil and gas wells? -
Zombies and vampires are popular in the movies these days, but there’s a bloodsucking insect that’s really a lot scarier than anything at the movies Ever hear of kissing bugs?. -
Salt Cedar is hated in West Texas. Tamarix, as it’s known botanically, is a native of dry areas of Eurasia and Africa How did it get to the Americas and why is it so despised?
