@bigbendnps

Earth Science Week starts today! Throughout the week, we’ll be posting some of our favorite earth-science themed hikes and activities. Be sure to log into the Earth Science Week website for more information about how you can participate—no matter where you live! Image: Two people photograph rock features in Big Bend’s badlands. NPS/CA Hoyt.

Don't miss out on the chance to virtually participate in the World Migratory Bird Day Festival October 8-10! This fall's schedule will include movies, kid-friendly sessions, Spanish sessions, event booths, and more. This is a great way to learn more about bird migrations happening in the Americas right now, and what part you can play in helping to protect our birds. To learn more about the festival and to view the schedule, please visit https://www.birddaylive.com/. Photo credit: NPS/CA Hoyt

Do you want to camp in Big Bend National Park during the month of October? If so, please keep in mind that you must make a reservation through www.recreation.gov to secure a campsite. This includes camping in the Chisos Basin Campground, backpacking sites in the Chisos Mountains, and most of the backcountry primitive drive-in sites. We will not be issuing any first-come first-serve permits until the Visitor Centers reopen. **If your favorite campsite does not appear on recreation.gov, this means it is currently not available. For more detailed information about staying overnight in Big Bend National Park, please click on the link in our Bio, which will take you to our Updates webpage. 📷: NPS/CA Hoyt

The night and early morning hours of October 5th - 6th are a great time to go outside and look up under the vast night skies of Big Bend. This evening brings Mars to its closest distance from Earth. Our celestial neighbor will loom just 38.57 million miles away from us – much closer than its average 140 million miles! This is the closest Mars will get for the next 15 years. Backyard telescopes and even binoculars will offer a spectacular view of the iron-rich red planet. Look closely enough and you may notice the polar ice caps as well as darker and lighter colors indicating higher and lower ground. The geology of Mars is perhaps easier to understand while standing before the peaks and basins of Big Bend country. Mars very likely experienced long periods of volcanic activity, with magma pushing upwards and forming mountains. The Chisos Mountains here formed in a similar way. Although Mars doesn’t have tectonic plate movements like Earth, recent information gathered by the rover InSight shows that it has experienced quakes – marsquakes. And due to the variety of sedimentary minerals found on Mars scientists theorize that groundwater must have been present at some point in the past to carve, shape, and deposit layers in a similar way to what we see here. The desert landscapes of Big Bend National Park can often feel otherworldly, making it a perfect place to contemplate our solar system neighbor. Step outside, turn off your lights, and look up. What do you see? NPS Photo

Put on your citizen scientist hat and help us document the pollinators of Big Bend during the Texas Pollinator Bioblitz (October 2-18). It’s easy to participate. Post your photos of pollinators on Facebook or Instagram using the hashtag . You can also share your observations with the 2020 Texas Pollinator Bioblitz iNaturalist project. For more information, visit TPWD.texas.gov/education/Bioblitz.

What's in a name? Most of us have a story or meaning behind the name we were given. Likewise, the names of places found throughout Big Bend country usually have a story or significance attached to them. The abundance of Spanish names reveals the early Spanish and Mexican history in the region. Repeat visitors and residents of the area are familiar with many names such as Casa Grande, Boquillas, Mariscal, Santa Elena, Terlingua Creek, Mesa de Anguila, Rosillos Mountains, Tornillo Creek, and probably the most recognizable, Rio Grande. While the the meaning behind some names are obvious: Casa Grande "big house", Rio Grande "big river", others are more vague and open to interpretation. An example is Mesa de Anguila - there are those who say it is a misspelling of the word aguila, meaning eagle, and refers to the eagles that nested there. Others say it is the direct translation for Mesa of the Eels, and still others believe it was Mesa de Angel, or Mesa of the Angels. Another example is Terlingua Creek, pictured here, which flows into the Rio Grande at the mouth of Santa Elena Canyon. Some say it is a corruption of the words tres lenguas or "three languages", Indian, Spanish and English. It is also said to refer to the "three tongues" or forks of the creek. A third example is the little settlement called Castolon, which early Mexican families say got its name from an old man named Castulo who lived by a little spring in the vicinity. Looking beyond the exact meaning, these and other place names of Big Bend are a reminder of the heritage of early Spanish and Mexican settlers in this region, and the part they played in its history. 📷: NPS/B. Trester

Lots going on today! It’s National Public Lands Day AND International Observe the Moon Night. Come celebrate public lands with an admission-free day at the park and stay to howl at the moon under Big Bend’s legendary dark skies. Check out moon.NASA.gov/observe for lots of fun activities if howling at the moon isn’t your thing. Image: Moonrise in Big Bend. NPS/CA Hoyt

Great news! Big Bend National Park's phased re-opening continues. We will move to the next stage on Tuesday, September 29th. On that date, we expect to open: - all backcountry roads - many of the designated backcountry campsites (both Chisos Mountains backpacking and Primitive Roadside sites), by advance reservation through recreation.gov. - the section of the Rio Grande within the park for overnight river trips Start your trip planning now! Thank you for your patience. For the latest details on what is currently open, will soon reopen, and what will remain closed, please visit the park's COVID-19 Updates webpage which can be reached by clicking on the link in our Bio. Photo credit: NPS/CA Hoyt

Come celebrate International Day for Biological Diversity at the park! With a little rain last week, the park burst into bloom. You can’t help but notice the pink and purple cenizo, the bright yellow Desert Hibiscus, and the showy, white rocktrumpets. Look closely and you’ll also find tiny, pink plume tiquilia flowers and the strange, but fascinating, pipevines. Big Bend National Park has over 1200 plant species. Come find your favorite!

Look at all those options for the 500 Species Nature Challenge! Check out our story every other day to learn more about what’s hopping, flying, crawling, or blooming in the desert. We’ll test your knowledge with a fun quiz. How well do YOU know the desert?

We love the rain, and the plants and animals can certainly use it, but it's not always kind to our roads! This is recent footage taken along the paved road between Castolon and Santa Elena Canyon. Flash flooding has deposited large amounts of sand, rock, and debris in several low water crossings along this road. Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive is now open, but the segment of road between Castolon and Santa Elena Canyon will remain closed for several more days. This closure will give our road crew a chance to clear these crossings and make them safe for vehicular travel. Old Maverick Road will also remain closed until road conditions improve. Video credit: NPS/J. Leininger

The caterpillars are terrified. The cold front pushed in flocks of hungry little warblers on their annual migratory journey from northern nesting grounds to winter homes in the south. This Yellow Warbler moved from limb to limb, ruthlessly plucking caterpillars that thought they were well-hidden in the bark of a mesquite tree. Check out our Instagram Story to test your migratory warbler identification skills. Photo: Yellow Warbler. NPS/CA Hoyt