See the "Wooly Devil," new plant species discovered at a U.S. national park for the first time in nearly 50 years

A new plant species called the Wooly Devil has been discovered at Big Bend National Park in Texas, the National Park Service announced Monday.

The Wooly Devil, or Ovicula biradiata, was first spotted by botany volunteer Deb Manley and a park ranger in March 2024, according to the park service. The tiny, fuzzy-looking plants with yellow flowers growing among desert rocks in a remote area on the northern end of the park were not anything like they had seen before.

After searching plant databases, consulting experts and even asking for answers online, park officials said they began to realize that they had found something special.