"I made the latest of my many visits to Balmorhea State Park in the deserts of west Texas (pronounced “BAL-muh-ray;” not like the intestinal disturbance) the morning of 15 June. It was a Monday morning, so I avoided the weekend crowds; and the air temperature was in the low 60s, which discourages many people from going there to “cool off” (though the spring-fed water temperature is a constant 72-76 degrees year-round).

There are seven species of fish found in the spring-fed, natural-bottom pool; I was able to see four of them. Most of them are found either nowhere else in the world, or only in a few areas near the park.

In this photo you can see a courting pair of Comanche Springs Pupfish (Cyprinodon elegans) engaged in breeding activity. The male is the larger, blue one. These fish are an endangered species and found only here, where they are plentiful. They are only a couple of inches long.

Interesting note--they get their common name from the Comanche Springs, which dried up in the 1950s; the population was moved to San Solomon Spring which is what feeds the pool at Balmorhea and the surrounding cienegas. - Chris McMartin, FB Jun 2026