Willow Waterhole Birds

Cooper's hawk chick Photo by Ben Hulsey

Endangered River

San Jacinto River Photo by Wendee Holtcamp

Sneaky Snake

Louisiana Pine Snake Photo by Wendee Holtcamp

Features

The Elusive Brown Recluse Spider

You've probably heard horror stories about brown recluse spider bites. Their size doesn't seem fearsome, usually only about 3/4 inch across, but don't let that fool you. Though they rarely bite, when they do, it can get ugly. The initial bite may be completely painless, but the skin around the wound begins to die.

Waugh Drive Bat Bridge

Bat-watching along the banks of Austin's Town Lake and Congress Avenue Bridge is a time-honored tradition, and the source of an estimated $10 million in ecotourism revenue annually. Now Houston is capitalizing on bat bridges, too. Standing atop the Waugh Drive bridge at Allen Parkway, a group gathers to hear TPWD urban biologist Diana Foss talk about Houston's bats, and to witness their nightly emergence.

Sand Mining Threatens Houston's Drinking Water

One of my favorite photos shows my two young children on the riverbank, laughing, wearing nothing but mud. Living on a tributary of the San Jacinto River for years, my kids awoke every morning to sunshine sparkling on its surface. When I felt the stress of life, I would walk outside and sit on a log, watching the river under my feet, remembering the words of Winnie the Pooh: "Sometimes, if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean over to watch the river slipping slowly away beneath you, you will suddenly know everything there is to...

Why you Should Care about the Texas Fatmucket Mussel

The southern United States is a global hotspot for freshwater mussels; in fact, it's the most species-diverse region in the world. Nearly 300 mussel species live in our rivers, compared to a slim dozen in all of Europe. They may claim funny names like rock pocketbook, monkeyface, and fuzzy pigtoe, but our freshwater mussels are seriously imperiled.