this post was submitted on 09 Apr 2026
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The Botanist with 500K Fans Who Bought the Rarest Ecosystem in Texas (www.youtube.com)
submitted 1 month ago by happybadger@hexbear.net to c/earth@hexbear.net
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spoilerMost people drive through South Texas and see nothing — scrubby brush, dry heat, thorns. I used to see it that way too. Then I met Joey Santore.

Joey is a botanist, illustrator, and the voice behind Crime Pays but Botany Doesn't. A few years ago, he did something most people only talk about: he acquired a piece of Tamaulipan Thornscrub — one of the rarest ecosystems in North America — and started protecting it.

Less than 1% of this ecosystem is formally protected. Most of what remains sits on private ranch land, unrecognized or actively cleared. We spent a day walking his land to understand what's actually out there, and why it matters.

00:00 — What Most People Miss in South Texas

01:00 — The Tamaulipan Thornscrub

01:45 — Walking the Land with Joey Santore

03:00 — The Goliad Gravels

04:00 — Plants That Wait

06:00 — Peyote and the Plants Worth Protecting

08:30 — Javelinas, Feral Pigs, and Evolutionary History

11:00 — Why This Place Is Worth Paying Attention To

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[–] happybadger@hexbear.net 8 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I'm jealous! I haven't been able to explore most of Colorado's arid ecosystems yet, but they're such a nice contrast to how I view the mountains. In the Rockies you can piss in a circle and hit ten of the most beautiful things you've ever seen. There's so much to look at that 90% of it doesn't stand out. Focusing on one nice flower misses the Ansel Adams nonsense going on behind it. In the arid regions I have visited, individual plants and features take on a lot more significance. Exploring that landscape in slow motion gives me a better sense of the ecosystem than I get from a hike to a vista.