Nature Notes Previous Episodes

In the last pages of The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s narrator, imagines North America as first seen through European eyes. For a moment, he imagines, that early sailor “must have held his breath in the presence of … Continue reading →

The human response to potential risk is a complex thing. We can go to extremes – either of panic or denial. Resisting those extremes – being mindful of a hazard, while not being paralyzed by it – is challenging.   … Continue reading →

Agave, and the related succulents lechuguilla and sotol, are the ancient touchstones of human life in our region. The continent’s oldest known “earth oven” was found south of Alpine – proof that Indigenous people have been baking agave here – … Continue reading →

Big Bend National Park is a land of superlatives, and that extends to an area of primal interest: the Age of Reptiles. Big Bend’s unparalleled fossil record has enthralled paleontologists and dinosaur enthusiasts for a century. Discoveries here include the … Continue reading →

For many Big Bend National Park regulars, it’s an essential stop after a day of desert adventuring. To ease into the soothing waters of the park’s hot springs, near Rio Grande Village, is pure animal satisfaction. Indeed, these springs were … Continue reading →