Nature Notes Previous Episodes

The ancient Southwest was a place of tremendous diversity. Among the deserts, high plateaus and wooded canyons, cultures grew and flourished, influencing one another. They mastered agriculture in some of the most forbidding landscapes on Earth. Ceramics were ubiquitous – … Continue reading →

West Texans can sample and learn about sotoles, at Marfa’s third annual Agave Festival, June 1-9. Distilled agave spirits have long been a mainstay of Mexico and the borderlands. But they’ve gone global. Tequila exports from Mexico have doubled since … Continue reading →

It’s a curious thing to say about creatures that are in fact dinosaurs, and have endured for tens of millions of years, but birds are having a moment. Birding has a growing number of young practitioners. In city and town, … Continue reading →

The plains and deserts bloom. Birds whistle and sing. There are radiant days when the wind abates, and the sky itself seems to mellow and ripen. Springtime in West Texas is always a sweet surprise.  And across the region, gardeners … Continue reading →

They’re diminutive, less than a foot tall, but their claim to the open spaces and arid plains of the West runs as deep as the bisons’. They’re skilled hunters in the prairie night. Burrowing owls live in holes created by … Continue reading →