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 every week. Through interviews with scientists and field recordings, this Marfa Public Radio original series reveals the secrets of desert life.
Join host Dallas Baxter on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:45 am during Morning Edition and 4:45 pm during All Things Considered. New episodes premier on Thursdays and replay on Tuesdays. 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.
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As archeological techniques and perspectives evolve, artifacts collected decades ago can be as revelatory as new finds. -
Chirping frogs are typically less than an inch long, and you could mistake their whistling, trilling calls for an insect’s. But these little creatures have an epic story, one that distills the deep mysteries of biodiversity. -
More than any mountains, mesas or canyons, the region's sand dunes distill the desert’s defining phenomenon, drought. -
Five years ago, archeologists began excavating the San Esteban cave south of Marfa, searching for evidence of the Big Bend's earliest inhabitants. -
At sunset tonight, a few thousand Mexican long-nosed bats will fly from a cave high in the Chisos Mountains. They’ll disperse to feast on agave nectar — pollinating the iconic plants in the process. These “agave bats” are deeply imperiled by human impact but for now, they’re holding their own. -
In paintings and comics, Alpine artist Chris Ruggia has captured West Texas wildlife with care, curiosity and whimsy for two decades. Now, he has a new book inspired by the return of black bears to the Big Bend region. -
With the return of black bears to West Texas, researchers are tracking their movements and studying their habits. And with careful science, they're hoping the bears can once again flourish in the region. -
New research on mountain lions in the Davis Mountains offers a rare glimpse into the secretive lives of these "ghost cats." -
Agave-roasting was a mainstay of life in prehistoric West Texas. And new research suggests the practice was as much about celebration as it was sustenance. -
These ovens, where ancient people slow-roasted succulents like agaves, are rewriting the region's deep history.
