we realized that our continent's easternmost desert, the Chihuahuan Desert, is not as well known in many ways as its sister deserts like the Mojave and Sonoran. And we had to do what we can to rectify that! So in this episode, Chris chats with Dr. Kevin Floyd, botanical curator of the Chihuahuan Desert Gardens at the University of Texas at El Paso, about what life is like in the Chihuahuan Desert. Kevin discusses:
Elevation, winter freezes, and summer monsoon rains.
Why no one really agrees on the precise boundaries of the Chihuahuan Desert
The small cacti, agaves, yuccas, that thrive in the desert’s grassland landscapes
Native bees, birds, bats, and the connections between plant diversity and animal life.
Bighorn sheep in the Franklin Mountains, road mortality, and the case for wildlife crossings.
How native landscaping and reduced pesticide use help support local food webs.
Our first taste of a new batch of Fred Bell’s nature recordings features coyotes around Furnace Creek Campground in Death Valley National Park. And Chris reflects on storm damage, past and future. Check on your neighbors!
Also! We've extended two deadlines. Our Fellowship for Desert Reporting is still accepting applications until October 31, and you can still be the first to submit an answer to our bird ID quiz from last week! Listen to the Fred Bell recording in S5E33; the first three emails received at chris@90milesfromneedles.com that correctly identify the birds in the audio by October 22 win a 90 Miles from Needles T-shirt.
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