West Texas Landscapes Nature Journal

The drive out to Midland, Texas from Fort Worth is a 300 mile straight-shot west. The only route is I-20W. To my surprise, both sides of this two lane highway is rather filled with cars and 18-wheelers midday. But the landscape of Texas doesn’t deviate much from the general assumption, flat. But there is an overlooked beauty that comes with the nature in this outstretch countryside.

                The grass’ color fades in the ditches on either sides of the highway. A tint of yellow has befallen upon the once vivid green grass, showing signs of early winter. It juxtaposes the healthy and thriving trees and shrubs, worse indicators of the changing seasons. In this dry, barren land where water is the most limited resource, the space in between each plant is larger than Fort Worth, surely not a coincidence. The roots shoot horizontally for the widest coverage, marking territory. The only way for a new seed to take hold is by having another plant die and relinquish its resources. Contrary to media portrayals, it’s not the Wild West or even Arizona west. No cacti or dunes are in sight. The only difference between I-20 out here and I-30 between the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex are the cows grazing in their pastures.

                Off in the distance wind turbines spin. From my vantage point it looks unnaturally slow. It doesn’t seem feasible that these massive blades are rotating due to atoms of gas colliding and ricocheting off. Yet, these particles are generating usable energy that humans have harnessed to pollute more gas into the atmosphere. When I observed these turbines, I didn’t recognize them as manmade features, but rather part of the environment. Much like the oil rigs. Is this because they seem so sparse amongst this vast country? It’s a bit disturbing considering the damage both machines have produced on Earth. Obviously, pollution and global warming can be associated with the oil rigs, but one may try to argue that the wind turbines are assisting nature and the species it houses. Sure, it’s a renewable resource and probably won’t emit as much carbon dioxide as other energy sources, but those propellers kill hundreds of thousands birds and bats each year. Even as humans try to reduce our footprint, we simply shift our influence towards another undeserving part of the ecosystem.