Chip factory growth boughs to native plants in Phoenix

Here's the story of one business at the intersection of conservation and growth amid Phoenix’s semiconductor boom.
“What we have been able to do with developers is make them understand that not only is there an environmental advantage to saving the trees ... there's also a monetary advantage,” says Rob Kater, owner of Native Resources.
Maria Hollenhorst/Marketplace

Cactus poachers are picking the Texas desert clean of rare species

Feb 21, 2022
The lucrative cactus black market is booming, and many species are threatened with extinction.
Karen Little, manager of the Sul Ross State University greenhouse, holds a rare Pelecyphora aselliformis cactus, seized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service en route to markets overseas.
Zoe Kurland

How a small plant became a big business

Jun 19, 2018
They're (practically) impossible to kill and easy to photograph, making them a big hit with online retailers and Instagrammers alike.
French-Egyptian artist Ghada Amer poses near her work entitled 'Cactus Painting' on May 31, 2018. It has a lot of succulents. 
GUILLAUME SOUVANT/AFP/Getty Images