newshour:

Before and After: the Southwest drought from space

Dead Trees in Memorial Park, Houston, Texas
Before (left): May 3, 2010 | After (right): September 26, 2011

The Southwest drought has had a devastating impact on the state’s trees. The Texas Forest Service estimates more than 500 million trees were killed by the drought. The trees that were under the most stress were actually urban trees, when local governments restricted watering public landscapes. These pictures from the Texas Forest Service show Memorial Park in Houston, where trees turned brown and died over the course of a year.

Move the slider over to see before and after shots of this image and more here. 

(Image from USGS)

-KC

Um, notice how green the golf course remains even as the trees all around it are dying?

René Magritte, Golconde, 1953, oil on canvas, The Menil Collection, Houston, Texas

Barnett Newman, Broken Obelisk

This particular installation is located in front of the Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas and serves as a memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The back story of how it got there is worth a read.

William Betts, Rosenborg Garden, 2003, acrylic on composite, private collection

fuckyestexas:

boobunny:

Houstonian’s favorite Netflix rentals include Extreme Engineering: Offshore Oil and Gay Sex in the 70’s.

Somehow, this is so incredibly fitting.