In Search of Bigfoot
Above: Jesus Payan Jr. seeks the notoriously shy beast in a forest near Cloudcroft. FOR YEARS, JESUS PAYAN JR. SPENT LONG NIGHTS in the Tularosa Basin, peering into the darkest corners of the desert…
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Category: Nature & Wildlife
Three Hikes for Fall Color
Above: The Brazos Cliffs are made of some of the oldest rock found in New Mexico. Photograph by Jim O’Donnell. Jawbone Mountain A moderate 6-mile out-and-back hike along Placer Creek leaves from a…
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Take a Fall Road Trip West of Taos
MY SON JUMPS THE CREEK, barely a foot wide. He kneels among the brassy, waist-high grasses, gently pushes aside downed aspen, elm, and oak leaves colored in scarlet, coral, and a buttery gold, and…
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Watch For These Fall Wildflowers
The wildflowers are listed clockwise from top left. Illustration by Chris Philpot. Cowpen daisy Known locally as añil del muerto (“bluing of death”), this cheery yellow flower fills vacant lots and…
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Fall Color Unfolds in the Gila
On a cool October morning in southwestern New Mexico, mist from Snow Lake drifts into the golden grasses along the trail. Brushstrokes of rose and blue dance across the water, reflecting the predawn…
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Bosque Binge
Above: Dotted with color, Jemez Springs makes for a great fall road trip. Photograph by Minesh Bacrania. Coronado Historic Site In the heart of Bernalillo, just north of Albuquerque, this site holds…
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Find Nature in the City
RANGERS AND VOLUNTEERS at the Río Grande Nature Center State Park have decades of knowledge about the bosque’s plant life, birds, mammals, and trails. “We have two instructional coordinators at this…
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More Than Gold
LEAF PEEPERS DON'T HAVE TO hit the high country or even leave the city to spot fall colors. Joran Viers says park hoppers can find bright red ornamental pears and peach-to-burgundy Chinese pistaches…
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Cottonwood Heaven
AS IT TUMBLES ACROSS the Colorado state line into New Mexico, the Río Grande nourishes a forested garden running the length of the state. Seen from above, as thousands of migrating birds do every…
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Here's How Leaves Get Their Fall Colors
Leaves contain yellow and red pigments all summer, but only as the chlorophyll molecules break down do those colors become visible. Illustration by Chris Philpot. Fall Fade As days shorten in the fall…
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