An annoying problem has developed with the publication schedule of the Black Range Naturalist (BRN). I sometimes receive material which is excellent but the publication schedule of the BRN does not support timely publication of the material; drafts of the next two BRN’s may be close to final for instance. I may be working on a future issue of the BRN which is nine months out. Publishing something nine months after I receive it is not timely. So I (Bob Barnes) have decided to revisit the idea of publishing a blog on the Black Range (BR) website, to address this particular problem.
This blog (“Natural History Blog”) will be focused on getting material out there for people to see and react to, rather than on providing a researched piece. It apparently will not focus on catchy blog names.
Please provide your comments directly to me at rabarnes@blackrange.org.
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Aztec Dancer Addendum
Jim Von Loh's time in the field during the last few months continues to yield positive results for us. His efforts at Leasburg Dam State Park near Radium Springs have yielded an expanded species account for Aztec Dancer. It has been published on our Odonata page as Addendum 3 to Volume 2, of the Second Edition of The Odonata of Doña Ana County and the Black Range - The Damselflies.
Locating and photographing such small creatures is a labor of love, a substantial labor of love. We get the benefit of Jim’s efforts.
Enjoy
Cracks In The Mud
Sometimes I am amazed at the things which amaze me. Take these cracks in the mud, for instance. I found them along the Rio Grande above Caballo Dam eight days ago. I spent fifteen minutes or so just staring at them. Some of the large cracks were vertical cuts of four to five inches. These cracks extended over a very large area.
I was, and am, at a loss to explain how vertical cracks at that depth can develop. To a knowlegeable person there is probably an obvious explanation. But I am not knowledgeable so I get to be unabashedly amazed. - RABarnes
Vivid Dancer
Two addendums have been added to the Second Edition of The Odonata of Doña Ana County and the Black Range - The Damselflies. Both deal with the Vivid Dancer, Argia vivida. Based on the extensive research of Jonathan Batkin we have added this species to our survey. In his assessment of observations of this species from southern New Mexico he discovered two specimens of this species collected in the Black Range in 1978.
It is very difficult (impossible in many [perhaps all] cases) to distinguish this species from Springwater Dancer, which is found in our area, using photographs like those depicted on iNaturalist. So care should be taken in identifying a specimen as Vivid Dancer in our area. Given that “disjunct” individuals were captured in the Black Range in the late 1970s it is important that we be aware of the possibility that Vivid Dancer could be found here.
If you identify a Springwater/Vivid Dancer in our area which you believe may be a Vivid Dancer please let me know and provide any informatin you can about the observation, including location and photographs and I will alert Batkin to the observation. (Thank you, rabarnes@blackrange.org.)
The photograph of a verified specimen, shown above, from the northern part of the state, was taken by Jonathan Batkin near Aztec.
The first addendum is the species account which will be added to future versions/editions of the survey. The second addendum is a summary of the research performed by Batkin. We will publish that addendum as an article in the April 2026 issue of The Black Range Naturalist.
Wilson's Snipe
Wilson’s Snipe, Gallinago delicata
Photographs above and below were taken on
November 23, 2025 at the Caballo Dam Campground
The Hillsboro birding group found Wilson’s Snipe at Caballo Dam during their monthly outing on November 23. Rather unusual to find this wader at this site.
Jewelflower Study
Arizona Jewel Flower, Streptanthus carinatus arizonicus, blooms early in the year. The photograph below was taken on Apache Hill (recently featured in the Lake Valley Mining District video) on April 14, 2020. I have also photo-graphed the species in late March at Pony Hills, southwest of Cooke’s Peak.
Why is this worth mentioning? In a new study, there is always a new study, Megan Bontrager et al. found that jewelflower species in California "appear to have diverged in their climate niches based on highly differentiated annual conditions are actually tracking very similar seasonal climate conditions”. (M. Bontrager, S.J. Worthy, N.I. Cacho, L. Leventhal, J.N. Maloof, J.R. Gremer, J. Schmitt, & S.Y. Strauss, "Herbarium specimens reveal a constrained seasonal climate niche despite diverged annual climates across a wildflower clade", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences U.S.A. 122 (28) e2503670122, July 1, 2025, https://doi.org/10.1073/
pnas.2503670122.) This finding may turn out to be a significant point in our understanding of how plant species evolve to live in new habitats.
The jewelflower found in our area, Streptanthus carinatus arizonicus, was not one of the 14 species included in the study but the researchers found that the characteristics cited above were common across the members of the genera they studied.
Northern Lights
The aurora borealis is not something you should expect to see if you live in zip code 88042; Lake Valley, Kingston, Hillsboro, and adjacent areas. But that is what happened last night. At around 8 p.m. John West, Therese Van Buskirk, and Debora Nicoll took the following photos of the northern lights. John’s photograph is the first in the following series, followed by Therese’s photographs, and lastly a photograph of the aurora behind Brenda Mountain by Debora Nicoll.
There is the possibility that the aurora borealis will be seen from this area tonight (11/12) and perhaps even on Thursday night (11/13).
Special thanks to Kathleen Blair for assisting in this post.
Amended at 9:03 to add the photograph by Debora Nicoll.
Mines of the Black Range - 15 Videos
With the addition of two new videos (The Fluorite Mining District and The Lake Valley Mining District) the Mines of the Black Range video portfolio now includes 15 videos.
The 2025 State of the Climate
What is it called when a species commits suicide? What is it called when a species kills off countless other species? Humanity is a failed experiment! The 2025 State of the Climate report has been issued, needless to say this is not a report from the United States Government. The following is one small piece of the report.
Grasshoppers
Whether they be green, brown, or black. Whether they be tiny or huge (relatively). Whether they fly or just hop. Whether they are very much alive or smashed on your windshield. It is a time of grasshoppers and they are everywhere.
Strangely, the fact that there are so many does not make it easier to identify any one individual to species. Turns out there are a number of grasshopper species in this area, that each instar stage can look different, very different, from its predecessor or what comes next, and there are significant regional and individual differences to contend with. Great fun. Well….
On a recent outing to Andrews (north of Animas Peak, by Copper Flat) hiking companions noted the jewels flying through the sky. The wings of grasshoppers can glimmer in a variety of colors as they plow through the air, greens, turquoise-blue, yellows, and reds seem to predominate but some are more subtle.
I suspect that the individual shown above is Schistocerca albolineata, White-lined Bird Grasshopper. It looks a lot like S. obscura, the Obscure Bird Grasshopper, but note the red hind tibiae.
In describing this species, BugGuide notes that it is "Similar to S. lineata and venusta, but more contrastingly marked, with bold dark bars on the hind femora. This species is dark olive green or brown to black, with contrasting pale yellowish markings, and bold contrasting markings on the hind femora, with the hind tibiae red to black.
Occasionally individuals are green with fewer pale contrasting markings, but still have bold contrasting black markings on the hind femur. These closely resemble eastern S. obscura, but usually have red hind tibiae. Their appearance raises interesting questions about possible hybridization, and they are often misidentified.”
Although the taxonomic boxes have been, more-or-less, sorted at this point which individuals belong in which boxes is still unclear at times.
Other photographs of the individual shown above may be seen at this page.