We have been experiencing a true Sky Island Spring this year, and nothing is more beautiful to me than cool weather and flowers blooming. This winter was unseasonably warm, but also quite rainy, which provided perfect conditions for many awaiting seeds to germinate and buds to bloom. Prickly poppies and New Mexico thistles flank the highways like white and purple Truffula trees, and California poppies and Desert mariposa lilies cover the hillsides like a blanket of yellow snow. Hidden amongst...

During our mild and moody winter, the trees and the sky felt so empty (except for our raucous ravens) and I retired my hummingbird feeder for the season. But now it is officially Spring, and birds are migrating through the borderlands again, in search of food, mates, and water! At the Borderlands Wildlife Preserve, we maintain a series of wildlife drinkers that supply year round water for all species, whether it is the local packrat, wandering black bear, or seasonal residents like our...

Do you see the young horned lizard (Phyrnosoma spp.) in this photo? He blends in perfectly with the surrounding rocks, dirt, and foliage thanks to crypsis. Crypsis is an overarching term that refers to the biological goal of remaining hidden. This adaptation encompasses morphological traits and behaviors that are used to avoid predation, or to increase a predator’s chances of stalking prey undetected. Crypsis can be broken down into specific types of concealment - the most common example for...