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Daniel Polin/Creative CommonsMagpies 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. -
John Owens/WikiCommon/Creative Commons licenseThe barrel cactus won’t slake your thirst on a hot desert day. It’s named for its stout shape, not its contents.
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The Bradford pear was one of the most widely planted ornamental trees in North America. But it's now largely considered invasive and outlawed in several states. -
High summer temperatures make Flagstaff’s thin air feel even thinner. Density altitude affects your body, turning a simple mountain hike into a tough physical workout. -
The San Francisco Peaks volcanic system includes some tiny residents — small, rare plants that grow in difficult terrain. Citizen scientists are trying to document them. -
Have you ever noticed a large, fuzzy, brightly-colored ant moving rapidly along the ground? Commonly called velvet ants, these aren’t ants at all. They’re actually wingless wasps. -
Three decades ago, the use of cloud seeding to enhance precipitation over the region was tested as part of a large field experiment. -
Paleontologists exploring the Zuni Basin of western New Mexico in the 1990s uncovered a turtle fossil shell that was later determined to be an entirely new species. -
Quicksand can form in rivers and washes across the Colorado Plateau. Conditions beneath the surface can create unstable ground and potential hazards. -
Prairie dogs, squirrels and even the family dog exhibit a behavior called “splooting" to help regulate body temperature. -
Jaguars are usually associated with the tropics of Central and South America, but historical records show they once prowled as far north as the South Rim of Grand Canyon. -
How did Southwest Tribal people protect and store their food before the days of refrigeration?
