by Chuck Cornell I learn something new every time I accompany Bill for raptor banding. Here’s a few things that are not always known about raptors and a couple of truths about banding in the Rio Grande Valley.

by James Bennie One autumn a few years ago, I was photographing butterflies and plants in Olmito when I noticed a yellow sulphur butterfly struggling like crazy, caught on a blue mistflower. I assumed it was in a spider web and as hard as it was beating its wings would soon get loose. It was puzzling, though,…

by Chuck Cornell In 2015, my friend, Gus Rentfro, mentioned that he knew a guy who banded raptors. “Would you like to go out with us some time?” he asked. “Yes” was my reply and thus began my adventures with Bill Clark and raptor banding.  On the first outing, I drove my car and followed…

Native annuals are beginning to appear, like Pennsylvania pellitory, a benign, unassuming plant that doesn’t seem to do anything except exist. It’s a plant that once you see it and hear its name, you don’t have to remember it because it’s just always there, ready to be enunciated. Pennsylvania pellitory, like its alliterative eight-syllabic moniker…

by Richard Loya Behind the Gates, an educational component of the East Foundation, has been hosting field lessons for thousands of fifth grade students for several years. The 27,000-acre El Sauz Ranch near Port Mansfield is now the home of Behind the Gates thanks to a dedicated education center. Hands-on learning experiences help students learn about…