Nature Notes

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Nature Notes episodes

March 17, 2016 Celebrating the Park Service Centennial at Big Bend
On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed legislation creating the National Park Service.
The national parks are a uniquely American idea – they've been called “America's best idea.” The creation of an agency to preserve and interpret those places was equally novel, and the park service has been a model for similar agencies around the world.
National parks are celebrating the centennial in 2016 with special events. Big Bend National Park – Texas' first national park – marks the occasion with new exhibits and events, including a fair Saturday, March 26, at Rio Grande Village.
The creation of a national park is a political achievement. But at the center of the hist...
5 min
March 10, 2016 Tornado Time in Texas
In West Texas, springtime means cacti blooms and birdsongs. It also means the advent of severe weather – from damaging winds to hailstorms. Perhaps no weather phenomenon is as extreme as a tornado.
West Texas sits at the edge of “Tornado Alley.” While tornadoes are more common to the east, our region can see powerful twisters.
When it comes to severe weather, the plains states have a dubious distinction. Along a wide path from Texas to Indiana called “Tornado Alley,” tornadoes occur more frequently than anywhere else on earth.
This unique weather phenomenon is the product of equally unique geography. From east to west, the Great Plains rise steadily in elevation toward the...
5 min
March 03, 2016 Burrowing Owls
The barn owl roosts in rafters. The great horned owl seeks the shelter of rocky canyons. But for one owl, the open plains are home.
The burrowing owl is known for its curiosity – and its quirky character. But beyond its clownish reputation, the burrowing owl is finely adapted to the prairies and deserts of West Texas.
With longer legs than other owls, burrowing owls cut an amusing profile. With their families, they chatter and coo. They'll emerge from their burrows in daylight, to survey the scene. You may catch a glimpse of the owl, raising its rounded head and peering out with its yellow eyes.
Michael Nickell, museum scientist at the Sibley Nature Center in Midland, said he was ...
5 min
February 25, 2016 Mule Deer Movers: The Art and Science of Mule Deer Relocation
It's a cold February morning at Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area, 25 miles south of Alpine. A 30-person crew stands at attention at headquarters.
From the slopes of the mountain – a retort, like a gunshot. Then, a helicopter appears overhead – and gently places two mule deer does on the ground.
The crew swings into action – giving antibiotic shots, taking blood samples, recording data. Within minutes, the deer – dazed, but placid – are loaded in a Texas Parks and Wildlife trailer. By day's end, they'll have a new home.
Mule deer capture is its own kind of rodeo. Here, it's designed to help struggling deer herds in the Big Bend.
In February 2016, Texas Parks an...
5 min
February 18, 2016 Cliffrose & Canyon: Botany at Dalquest Research Station
Even in a region of striking scenery, the landscape of the Dalquest Desert Research Station, 60 miles southeast of Marfa, stands apart. It's home to what's been called “the Grand Canyon of the Big Bend.” Out of welded volcanic ash, wind and water have carved a richly colored labyrinth – the Devil's Graveyard.
The 3,000-acre property is owned by Midwestern State University, in Wichita Falls, Texas. It's a site for scientific research. Recently, an Alpine botanist made a surprising find here.
The Dalquest site is reminder of how initial impressions can mislead. Like much of the Big Bend, it appears harsh, even deadly. But in the yellow- and red-rock canyons, there are spring-fed po...
5 min
February 11, 2016 The Midland Site: A Window into Ice-Age West Texas
A century ago, most archeologists believed human beings had only occupied the Americas for about 3,000 years. Then, a series of finds on the Llano Estacado changed that view.
One of the most significant finds occurred just 6 miles southwest of Midland. The discovery – called the Midland Site – included ancient human remains. It opened a window into the Ice Age world.
In June 1953, Keith Glasscock, an amateur archeologist, was collecting artifacts on the Scharbauer Ranch, near Monahans Draw, when he spotted a human skull among the sand dunes. Glasscock knew he had something important. He contacted Dr. Fred Wendorf, a leading archeologist.
In 1955, Wendorf published The Midland Di...
5 min
February 04, 2016 Spring’s Sweet Song: Cassin’s Sparrows in West Texas
The land lies parched. The prairie grasses are brittle. After months of dry winter weather, wind is blowing away the dusty soil of West Texas.
Then, on a warm February day – a song, piercing and sweet. Long before the cactus blooms, the Cassin's sparrow announces the coming spring in West Texas.
First described in 1852, from a specimen in San Antonio, the Cassin's sparrow is a creature of the prairies and desert grasslands. Its range extends from western Nebraska to central Mexico. It's a year-round resident in West Texas, from Midland County to the foothills of the Davis and Chisos mountains. Populations here swell during the mating season in spring and summer.
The...
5 min

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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…