Earth Notes

Paintbrush wildflowers have a secret: They steal nutrients from neighboring plants. But these “vampire plants” may actually help their plant communities thrive.

Ah, fall—apples are ripe, the air is crisp, and it’s time to rake the fallen leaves from the yard. Or is it?

Why do the autumn leaves seem especially brilliant some years?

A failed copper mine led to one of the Grand Canyon’s first hotel. Then the railroad arrived — and the hotel disappeared. But parts of it are still standing today.

An abiding question among geologists is when was the Grand Canyon carved? When did the Colorado River assume its present course and become the master sculptor of the canyon?

Every hunting season since 1998, the Arizona Game and Fish Department has asked hunters to bring them elk and deer heads to test for chronic wasting disease.

More than eight decades ago, pioneering Museum of Northern Arizona geologist Major L.F. Brady made a surprising find in sedimentary rocks high up on the east flank of Mt. Elden.

A tiny cactus that survives intense wildfire could offer clues about the resilience of ecosystems on the Colorado Plateau.

The spiral pattern in a sunflower’s seeds isn’t random. It follows a mathematical sequence that appears throughout the natural world.

Monsoon rains bring a torrent of colors to the Colorado Plateau. Yellow sunflowers emerge beside purple asters, blush-colored penstemons, and mauve lupine.

Annual meteor showers like the Perseids can give lovely shooting star displays – but they don’t produce meteorites. That’s because the tiny particles involved are made of fluffy, low-density clay-like material which burn up before reaching the ground.

On the evening of October 9, 1946, members of the Kaibab Trail crew at the Grand Canyon National Park were watching the sky during a meteor shower caused by the trail of Comet Giacobini-Zinner.

New research shows a small change in where homes are built could make a big difference for wildlife like elk, mule deer and pronghorn.

Ancient agave plants are helping researchers uncover clues about the people who lived in the Southwest more than 1,000 years ago.

That unmistakable smell after rain has a name: petrichor. It's been signaling the arrival of rain for millions of years.

Magpies have earned a bad rap as the bully in the birdyard — some even call them the birds everyone loves to hate. But the often-misunderstood magpie may deserve a little more credit than they get.

The barrel cactus won’t slake your thirst on a hot desert day. It’s named for its stout shape, not its contents.

In the 1980s Coconino National Forest established three designated ‘Quiet Areas.' Recently renamed ‘Seasonal Closures’ they’re intended to provide serene recreational spaces free from motorized traffic at certain times of the year.

How will future inhabitants on Mars and the Moon get their veggies? Northern Arizona University doctoral candidate Laura Lee has been seeking the answer to that question.

A project below Glen Canyon Dam is targeting invasive smallmouth bass that threaten native fish in the Colorado River.