whalesAbundance in the desert
Published on Mar 22, 2026
Abundance in the desert
Feels like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? But it was apparent, hiking along trails in Big Bend National Park, that there is so much life, diversity, and abundance even in a tough place to live like the Chihuahuan desert. So many weird, expressive ways for plants, birds, and mammals to thrive in the harshness of this ecosystem.
Healthy green cactus with vibrant red flowers in various states of bloom
For those unfamiliar, Big Bend is a remote region of the Chihuahuan desert near a big U-shaped bend in the Rio Grande river. The dramatic changes in elevation and soil content make for one of the most biodiverse and fragile ecosystems in the world. Truly wild places like it are more and more rare — and they deserve our protection.
As a matter of fact, a few months ago I made a piece inspired by exactly that. The push to sell off public lands and roll back the hard-won environmental protections that keep those wild areas safe got my anger and creative juices flowing. I was thinking about the national parks I’d been to, particularly Big Bend, and how desert plants are very good at protecting themselves. I decided to draw something of a call-to-action, that reflected the beauty, ferocity, and tenacity of the desert.
A stack of the first run of postcards. Subsequent runs were not quite as saturated.
When I made the postcard, I had only been to Big Bend once in my life. It was winter, and I had driven down for a short hike to Balanced Rock before driving back to my home base in Marfa. I remember feeling captivated by the rustic desert beauty, and I had only scratched the surface! This time, we went in spring, and as we were driving in I was excited to see blooming Torrey Yuccas, just like the one I drew on my postcard. Lo and behold, driving deeper into the Chisos Basin I found basically scene that I drew nearly a year ago, sight unseen.
All it's missing is the words in the sky!
And now ”Blooming Yucca” is more relevant than ever, because our administration is back on their BS (learn more at nobigbendwall.com). Spending time in this magical place it’s obvious that A) the people trying to build a wall along the Rio Grande have never experienced the peacefulness of the desert, and B) they greatly underestimate how much of a fight Texans will put up for what they love.