The Essence of an Urban Forest

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

McAllister Park, natural surface trail beside Mud Creek
downstream from Buckhorn Rd

Today's photos:

While the natural areas of McAllister Park suffer from even more of the stress that is common to most urban natural areas due to the fact that over the years the park has become a multi-use facility, it is still a prime example in San Antonio of a dynamic urban forest:

• The first photo is looking face to face at a red admiral butterfly. It was at the entrance to the trail and I had a strange feeling this butterfly was watching over the comings and goings on the trail.
• The second photo is a detail of a portion of a very large, decaying trunk of a fallen live oak tree. This trunk has been lying on the forest floor for at least a couple of years. Even though the tree is no longer living, its decaying trunk still plays a critical role in the ongoing life of the forest's biotic community.
• The third, fourth and fifth photo are of the berries remaining on a possumhaw bush. While its berries are a beautiful sight, it left me wondering why the frugivores haven't devoured them yet.
• The sixth photo is of a very large bluewood condalia bush. This one, by my estimate, is a good ten to twelve feet tall.
• The seventh photo is the top of one of the numerous very large and impressive live oaks that are growing in McAllister Park.
• The eighth and ninth photo are of a grey hairstreak (or one of its close hairstreak cousins) butterfly drinking nectar from agarita flowers.
• The tenth and eleventh photo are close ups of agarita flowers.
• The twelfth photo, like the seventh photo, is another live oak tree.
• The thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth photos are of a backlit American snout butterfly.
• The sixteenth and seventeenth photos are of a ruby-crowned kinglet. These birds do not sit still for more than a couple seconds at a time and are constantly flitting around a tree. This kinglet was finding plenty to eat in a hackberry thicket. The density of the tree branches and the way they intertwine made it even more difficult to get even a couple photos of this beautiful little bird.
• The eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth photos are of another red admiral butterfly sunning itself on a fallen live oak limb. When this limb had fallen, it took part of a large grapevine with it.