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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The first Cassin’s Sparrow song of the year is a blessing to eagerly await. For most of the year Cassin’s sparrows are secretive. But in the spring, the male sings a melody that rises and falls, going up the scale as he flies up, going down the scale as he comes down. This behavior is known as “skylarking.” In Midland County, Texas, the Cassin’s sparrow’s skylarking song is a sign that spring is on the way. -
The favorite pet of many people on the Llano Estacado and in the Trans Pecos is the box turtle. What makes these turtles wonderful and admirable neighbors? -
Everyone is familiar with Turkey Vultures, those huge black birds that circle high in the sky, searching for road kill. The rare Zone-tailed Hawk often flies hidden among the buzzards, hiding in plain sight. They are also dark and can soar with wings raised dihedrally in a “v.” Unlike vultures, though, their heads are feathered. With such a limited range, birdwatchers come from all over the United States to attempt to add the zone-tailed hawk to their life list. -
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If you’re in Trans Pecos Texas or the southern Llano Estacado you’re bound to see a javelina, more likely a whole family of javelinas. What do you know about these interesting creatures? -
Heat and dryness are facts of existence in West Texas. Every living thing must either evade these conditions or adapt to them. Humans, through technology, attempt to create our own environment. We live in air-conditioned houses and drive an air-conditioned car to our air-conditioned offices. But what about other creatures? How do they cope with the West Texas heat? -
In many of the supermarkets and drugstores of the southwest, many medicinal plants are sold in plastic bags with Spanish-name labels. Some of these plants are native, while others were brought to the New World by the settlers of the colonial period. In San Antonio, Laredo, and many other towns in Texas, a person can visit a botanica, a shop which specializes in herbal medicines as well as religious figurines, incense, “milagros,” and other necessities of the Hispanic “curanderismo” tradition. -
Little piles of dark earthworm castings sprinkle the soil after a rain. During dry spells earthworms wait, deep in the soil, encased in a shell made of their mucous and the dirt. After a rain, they feast on decaying organic material during the time of moisture and void the processed material, castings, on the surface. -
Rain is so amazing – the native grasses turned brilliantly green in a single day! Often, up to forty species of wildflowers begin blooming within a week of the rain. -
The Kingbird is one of many species of Flycatcher, famous for catching their insect prey on the wing. Have you watched the kingbirds along the streets of your town? Do you find them annoying or superbly entertaining?
