Nature Notes Previous Episodes

In 1931, the Texas historian Walter Prescott Webb called windmills “the life-savers of the Plains,” one of three technologies – along with the six-shooter and barbed wire – that allowed white settlement of the arid West. Today, access to underground … Continue reading →

For this episode, we’re teaming up with “West Texas Wonders” – a reporting series where listeners ask questions and Marfa Public Radio finds answers. This question comes from listener Pam Gaddis, of Alpine.  “Why do the ladybugs gather up on … Continue reading →

Record-breaking heat and drought strained West Texas this year – and made many outdoors activities daunting. Yet one group of Big Bend outdoorspeople have had it pretty good. Michael Camacho, of Marfa, is a veteran boater of West Texas rivers. … Continue reading →

“How do you know but ev’ry bird that cuts the airy way is an immense world of delight, clos’d by your senses five?”  In his characteristically visionary style, the poet William Blake captured a sense of wonder many of us … Continue reading →

“Without leaving home,” the Tao Te Ching says, “you can know the whole world.” It’s a lesson the covid pandemic has taught many of us, who’ve found our appreciation of the natural phenomena in our immediate surroundings heightened while we’ve … Continue reading →