Warnock Center

This is the Barton Warnock Environmental Education Center, just outside of Lajitas. Named after a prominent area botanist, it's a wealth of information about the local environment, with a lengthy, snaking exhibit called "Una Tierra/One Land" that's a must-see for amateur geologists. As you might be able to see, the building is perfectly square with a sizeable open courtyard, which is slowly being overtaken by various examples of desert plantlife which once served as exhibits themselves.


Inside the Una Tierra exhibit is an awesome relief map of the Big Bend area. This shot does not do it justice, but I just had to put it in. I took it without flash to try to capture the relief.


This is a closer-in shot to home in on the Persimmon Gap area. The little broken oval of a blister is the Rosillos Mountains, with The Gap at about its 2 o'clock position --pretty much dead-center -- showing as a break in the Santiago Mountains. Pretty cool, huh?


We're out in the Center's 2.5-acre garden area now. While perusing the photographs in the auditorium, I'd noticed the photographer moving in close on his subjects and creating abstractions of them. I decided to kick my little camera into Macro and have a go at it myself. I found the danger inherent in this little exercise with these particular subjects, though: threat of puncture. It happened more than once, especially with Senor Ocotillo here.


I'm not really sure of the name of this plant, but I believe it's of the sotol family, although the leaves aren't nearly long enough. I was quite fascinated by the fireworks pattern its leaves produced.


This agave I ran across -- not literally -- sort of reminded me of a great white shark, or possibly a scene out Little Shop Of Horrors. It does look hungry.


Here's my take on one of the images from the auditorium. Taking something like the agave and abstracting it is actually one of my pet things to do, making something so familiar look different somehow. I think this shows off the character of the agave more than a full shot.


Okay, before this thing starts looking like a photo album -- and there'll be one, you can bet on it -- here's one last image. This is a detail shot of a tree whose name I've already forgotten. (Man, I'm going to have to start writing this stuff down!) Anyway, I was totally taken with the color and texture, and couldn't resist capturing a good number of shots of it. But, you'll have to check out the upcoming photo album for them when I get it done, as this has gone on long enough. I'm outta here!