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.
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 3 minutes
- Episodes
- 29
- Years Active
- 2025
Long Live the Ocotillo: Tracking the Longevity of a Desert Plant
Researchers have studied the iconic ocotillo plant extensively. Yet they didn’t know the answer to a basic question: how long do ocotillos live? Biologist Peter Scott sought the answer in Big Bend Na…
00:04:00 |
Thu 11 Sep 2025
The Arizona Cypress: For this Big Bend Tree, Fire is a Must
Arizona cypress can grow 80 feet high, with blue-green to gray-green foliage. These Southwestern conifers are “obligate seeders” – they require fire to reproduce – and changing fire patterns have put…
00:04:00 |
Thu 04 Sep 2025
Bees and Blooms: The Hidden Dance of Ocotillo Pollination in Big Bend
Carpenter bees are known to “rob” nectar – to take the sweet stuff without moving any pollen. But in Big Bend at least, carpenter bees and ocotillos have a mutualistic relationship, one that benefits…
00:04:00 |
Thu 28 Aug 2025
Comparing Today’s Photos with Historic Images Brings Climate Change into Focus
Ecologist James Cornett is using “repeat photography” to reveal environmental changes across the Southwest.
00:04:00 |
Thu 21 Aug 2025
Probing Primate Origins in Big Bend
Exposed in rugged outcrops in Big Bend National Park, rocks known as the Black Peaks and Hannold Hill formations preserve the fossils of ancient primates and their primate-like predecessors.
00:04:00 |
Thu 14 Aug 2025
A 20-Year Study of Ocotillos Reveals Desert Ecosystems in Flux
Ocotillos are iconic Southwestern plants. With spiny, twisting limbs that can rise 20 feet, and vivid red flowers that bloom in even the driest spring, they distill the desert’s thorny allure.
00:04:00 |
Fri 08 Aug 2025
In the Prehistoric Story of Corn, Big Bend’s Indigenous People Played a Role
Maize, aka corn, was first domesticated in southern Mexico some 9,000 years ago. Much of today’s corn descends from varieties grown by Native farmers in the eastern U.S.
00:03:58 |
Thu 31 Jul 2025
To Avert the “Insect Apocalypse,” Dark Skies are Key
Moths that linger at artificial lights are easy prey for bats and birds, and they aren’t doing “moth stuff,” like pollinating night-blooming plants. But the impacts of artificial light extend far bey…
00:04:00 |
Thu 24 Jul 2025
From Fort Stockton to Fort Worth, Dinosaur Footprints Tell of Titans on the Move
The Pecos County dinosaur prints are the most prominent in our region. But there are more than 50 such sites in Texas, from the Hill Country north to Fort Worth, and Dinosaur Valley State Park.
00:04:00 |
Thu 03 Jul 2025
Mountain Magic: The Hunt for the Mysterious Fireflies of West Texas
They’re irresistible to children, but their flashes can enchant an observer of any age. Fireflies seem like magic. They’re mostly associated with sultry summer nights in the eastern U.S. But they are…
00:04:00 |
Thu 26 Jun 2025
Texas T-Rex? Big Bend Dinosaur Fossils are an Enigma
Though it’s certainly the most famous dinosaur, much about T-Rex, and its broader tyrannosaur lineage, remain a mystery. Now, scientists are taking a fresh look at tyrannosaur fossils from Big Bend N…
00:04:00 |
Thu 19 Jun 2025
In Big Bend’s Boquillas Formation, Geologists Trace an Ancient Chapter in Earth’s History
Visible in the park’s southeastern corner, near the hot springs and Boquillas Canyon, the Boquillas Formation is a series of limestones and shales, in white, tan, yellow and brown. These rocks were l…
00:04:00 |
Thu 12 Jun 2025
Hearing Songbird Culture in Mountain Chickadee “Dialects”
Chickadees are found across North America. Their “chickadee-dee-dee” call is an alarm – the more “dee-dee-dees,” the more serious the threat – and it’s only one element in their vocal repertoire.
00:04:00 |
Thu 05 Jun 2025
Along with Stargazers and Astronomers, Wildlife Needs Dark Skies
Around the world, advocates are fighting to preserve dark skies, as a vital asset for humankind. But there’s also new research showing the importance of dark skies for nonhuman creatures.
00:04:00 |
Thu 29 May 2025
Mammoth Find: A Tusk Discovery Points to Big Bend’s Rich Ice Age Past
In March, a hunter on the O2 Ranch south of Alpine found what appeared to be an ivory tusk in an arroyo bottom. Ranch Manager Will Juett contacted archeologists at Alpine’s Center for Big Bend Studie…
00:04:00 |
Thu 08 May 2025
Listening to the Desert’s “Werewolf Mouse” Reveals the Complex World of Bioacoustics
Grasshopper mice are fierce, if diminutive, predators, that routinely dine on scorpions, centipedes and other venomous prey. And as they set out on their nightly hunts, they emit a long, piercing cry…
00:04:00 |
Thu 01 May 2025
Patty Manning Pollinator Garden to Honor a Passionate Advocate of Big Bend Flora
The garden’s namesake was a passionate advocate for our region’s plants. Manning, who passed away September 8th, managed the Sul Ross greenhouse for 18 years, worked as a teacher and consultant and, …
00:04:00 |
Fri 18 Apr 2025
Riparian Raptors: For Birds of Prey, Cottonwood Forests are Essential Islands in a Desert Sea
Zone-tailed hawks are among the birds of prey that rely on riparian forests – woodlands along creeks and streams – as nesting sites in the Big Bend. Each summer, these hawks return from the tropics t…
00:04:01 |
Thu 10 Apr 2025
On the West Texas Prairie, the Plainview Site Points to an Enigmatic Ice Age Culture
In 1944, near the town of Plainview - 45 miles north of Lubbock - archeologists discovered two dozen examples of a previously unknown spearpoint – the Plainview style – among the bones of at least 10…
00:04:00 |
Thu 03 Apr 2025
The “Wooly Devil” is a Tiny, Wondrous Discovery in Big Bend National Park
It’s the first discovery of a new plant genus in a national park in decades, and a landmark find. But the identification of Ovicula biradiata, the “wooly devil,” began with a simple walk in the park.…
00:04:00 |
Thu 20 Mar 2025
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