spoiler
Most 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