Our Mighty Oaks

The 21 oak species in our region assume many forms and are survivors of the last Ice Age. Who are these tenacious trees? And what animals depend on them today? MORE…

Attracting Pollinators

Animals and insects aren’t being altruistic when they pollinate a plant. So how do plants attract and reward them for their services? MORE…

Soapberry

Trees seem scarce in the Chihuahuan Desert. But soapberry trees manage to thrive throughout our region and can even be used to wash your hands. How do desert dwellers exploit this hardy tree? MORE…

Pollen

As all hay-fever sufferers will tell you, this has been a bad year for pollen. What’s all that pollen good for besides making you miserable? MORE…

Pine Dining

Pine trees are much more than symbols of Christmas and sources of timber. They serve up a smorgasbord for many wild animals and insects. Who dines on pines in the Chihuahuan Desert region? MORE…

Creosote Medicine

Creosote’s therapeutic applications would make any biotech CEO green with envy. What are this desert shrub’s medicinal properties? And why is it such a pharmacological trove? MORE…

Traveling Seeds

You might think of plants as immobile, but they’ve evolved diverse strategies to scatter their offspring far and wide. What are some tactics desert plants use to scatter their seeds? MORE…

Texas’ Aspens

This is the time of year to see our highest peaks painted with patches of gold, thanks to quaking aspens. What are these remarkable trees doing in Texas? MORE…

Buffalo Gourds

What small gourd looks like a tiny watermelon, stinks to high heaven and is highly valuable both to insects and humans? MORE…

Harnessing the Wind

Eons before the first windmill was erected, fungi and plants were using wind to spread themselves around. How do plants and animals in the Chihuahuan Desert exploit wind’s perpetual energy? MORE…

Butterfly Gardens

There are over 100 species of beautiful butterfly pollinators in the northern Chihuahaun Desert, and butterflies will fill your garden if you plant the nectar sources they love. MORE…

Yuccas and Yucca Moths

Without yucca moths, yuccas wouldn’t exist. And without yuccas, neither would yucca moths. What’s so special about their relationship? MORE…