
- Playing
- Spadefoot Desert Chorale
- From
- Marfa Public Radio
The concert starts with a mighty summer storm. Thunder stirs the singers from their subterranean slumber. They convene at an impromptu stage—maybe a rain-filled arroyo, maybe a waterlogged ditch. And just as the curtain of evening falls, the chorus begins. Who are these vocalists? And what’s the occasion for their performance?
Also in the Nature Notes series
Burrowing Owls
(00:04:30)
From: Marfa Public Radio
Not all owls hunt at night and nest in trees. Burrowing owls greet the sun from abandoned prairie dog dens. What else makes these tiny birds unique?
Big Bend Gambusia
(00:04:30)
From: Marfa Public Radio
Big Bend National Park is home to many rare and endangered species, but the Big Bend gambusia lives particularly close to the edge of extinction. How has this fish hung on to ...
Nighthawks
(00:04:30)
From: Marfa Public Radio
Some birds sing. Others twitter, tweet or trill. But the common nighthawk goes boom in the night. This noise isn’t all that sets nighthawks apart in the avian world. What ...
Learning to Sing
(00:04:30)
From: Marfa Public Radio
Learning to vocalize is a surprisingly unusual ability in the animal world. How do young songbirds master their musical talents?
Our Might Oaks
(00:04:30)
From: Marfa Public Radio
The 21 oak species in our region assume many forms and are survivors of the last Ice Age. Who are these tenacious trees? And what animals depend on them today?
Harvester Ants
(00:04:30)
From: Marfa Public Radio
You’ve seen their sprawling, barren mounds, like little moonscapes in your field or lawn. But what lies beneath harvester ants’ conspicuous mounds?
Triops
(00:00:59)
From: Marfa Public Radio
These tiny crustaceans come to life for just a short while during our rainy season, but their eggs can wait decades to hatch and ride the wind for hundreds of miles.
The Fifth Season
(00:04:30)
From: Marfa Public Radio
In the Chihuahuan Desert, we spend fall, winter, spring and summer talking about our fifth season—the rainy season. What does its arrival mean for our plant and animal neighbors?
Attracting Pollinators
(00:04:30)
From: Marfa Public Radio
Animals and insects aren’t being altruistic when they pollinate a plant. So how do plants attract and reward them for their services?
Rotifer Diversity
(00:04:30)
From: Marfa Public Radio
Every pristine spring, mucky cattle tank, and rain-filled hueco in the Chihuahuan Desert is home to an exceptionally diverse array of microscopic animals. Who are these creatures?
Piece Description
The concert starts with a mighty summer storm. Thunder stirs the singers from their subterranean slumber. They convene at an impromptu stage—maybe a rain-filled arroyo, maybe a waterlogged ditch. And just as the curtain of evening falls, the chorus begins. Who are these vocalists? And what’s the occasion for their performance?
Musical Works
| Title | Artist | Album | Label | Year | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Sky (Reprise) | Dan Gibson, Bill Brennan, Rob Piltch | Country Retreat. | Solitudes | 2000 | 00:00 |
| The Frogs and Toads of North America: A Comprehensive Guide to Their Identification,Behavior, and Calls | Lang Elliott, Carl Gerhardt, and Carlos Davidson | The Frogs and Toads of North America: A Comprehensive Guide to Their Identification,Behavior, and Calls. | Mariner Books | 2009 | 00:00 |
Additional Credits
Host Dallas Baxter. Written by Megan Wilde. Frog sounds courtesy of Lang Elliott, Carlos Davidson and Carl Gerhardt, from their CD and book, The Frogs and Toads of North America.




