Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center and Botanical Gardens, Botanical garden in Fort Davis, Texas.

The Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center spans hundreds of acres with desert plants, volcanic mountains, canyon springs, and seasonal wetlands. The property features diverse habitats where visitors encounter the full range of a desert landscape.

The Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute, which runs the center, opened the Chihuahuan Desert Field School in 2004 for fourth-grade classes in Brewster, Jeff Davis and Presidio counties. Demand brought students of all grades from beyond the Big Bend region, and thousands have taken part. In 2008 the Texas Education Agency recognized the institute as a Continuing Professional Education Provider.

The gardens display plant species that local communities of the Chihuahuan region traditionally used for food and medicine. Visitors can see how these plants grow in their natural setting and understand their role in the area's way of life.

The site is accessible with five miles of trails that allow for thorough exploration of the landscape. Visitors should prepare for warm daytime conditions and bring plenty of water, as it is a desert setting.

The greenhouse's roughly 200 cactus and succulent species are mostly Chihuahuan Desert natives, and many flower in March and April. The 20-acre botanical garden around it holds about 165 species of trees, shrubs and perennial forbs. A wildscape garden planted around the adobe visitors' center in 2004 includes a trickling fountain meant to give local birds and small mammals water.