Ecosystems Are Not Abstract Concepts

Monday, March 25, 2013

San Antonio River, Mission Reach, Concepcíon Park Trailhead
between the confluence with Concepcíon Creek downstream and
the first riffle beyond the pedestrian footbridge upstream

Today's photos:

To make sense of the world we live in, to give it meaning and manage our lives, we make abstractions of the reality within which we live. We discuss ecosystems in terms of whether it is riparian or upland. What grasses, forbs, trees and fauna live in the ecosystem? What stage of woody succession has the ecosystem achieved and has it reached its likely climax stage? How is the fragmentation of habitat from our developing the land impacting the ecosystem? The questions and the abstractions required to answer them are endless.

This process of abstraction is critically important in understanding the world within which we live. But then we set foot on the trail and suddenly realize an "ecosystem" is, in fact, a living, breathing biotic community whose life far exceeds our ability to contain it in abstractions. We are quickly confronted by the ineffable and reminded, as was Thoreau, that "in Wildness is the preservation of the World."*

• The first two photos are Texas Indian Paintbrush. I didn't realize until I began searching for the link for this flower how many species there are in the Genus Castilleja. Lady Bird Johnson and the Texas Department of Transportation are largely responsible for this species, Castilleja indivisa Engelm., growing along the Texas highways throughout the state.
• The third photo is an overview of the River not far downstream from the Theo Ave bridge. I included this photo here for two reasons. First, it shows a young Black Willow tree and two Sycamore saplings growing on the edge of the river bank. The roots of these trees are already stabilizing the soil along the bank and preventing erosion. As they grow larger, the trees will increasingly provide shade on the river, cooling the water and improving its aquatic habitat.
• The second reason for including this third photo is that it gives a fairly accurate impression of the current state of the vegetation along much of the river. The wildflowers shown in close up in the other photos, for the most part, are growing in clusters along the river. Hopefully, we will get a significant rain soon that will yield a lush growth of vegetation.
• The fourth photo is an eye to eye look at a Gulf Fritillary butterfly.
• The fifth photo is a Texas Dandelion growing next to a cluster of Baby Blue Eyes.
• The sixth photo is another Texas Dandelion. This flower's common name is based on the fact it is a native plant to much of Texas and it resembles a dandelion, although it is in a different Genus from true dandelions. It is an interesting coincidence that when the flowers are used to make dye, this bright yellow flower yields a University of Texas burnt orange dye color.
• The seventh and eighth photos are Bluebonnets. There is a Ladybug on one of the plants that particularly stands out because of the color contrast between the bright orange-red of the insect and the blue of the flowers.
• The ninth photo is a Scrambled Eggs. Note there is an insect on the right center flower.  This appears to me to be a "sweat bee" in the Genus Lassioglossum, but don't quote me on that.
• The tenth photo is  a group of slider turtles enjoying a Monday afternoon get together on a midstream rock to celebrate the warmth of the sun. The two turtles on the right are Red-eared Sliders. The turtle on the right is a slider, but it looks more like a Big Bend Slider. I don't know if the Big Bend Sliders have found their way this far east or if this one "hitched a ride" with a tourist who didn't know better than to move animals from one region to another. This turtle is definitely not a Red-eared Slider.
• The eleventh photo is one of the damselflies commonly found along the River. I am fairly certain this one is in the Genus Argia. It appears to me to be a Sooty Dancer (Argia lugens).
• The twelfth photo is a windblown Snowy Egret on a large rock at the top of a riffle.
• The thirteenth photo is a Scarlet Sage. These bright red flowers stand out from the background clutter making them easy to spot along the river bank.
• The fourteenth and fifteenth photos are Whitebrush also known as Bee Brush. A honey bee conveniently flew through the field of view in the fifteenth photo.
• The sixteenth and seventeenth photos are Pink Evening Primrose all aglow with the translucent light of the sun passing through them. Translucence always gives a dramatic edge to a photograph. In nature photography, I think it serves particularly well to visually symbolize the "inner light" of the life that is within us and within all of creation. 

* I think it's worth mentioning here, Thoreau goes on in his essay, Walking, to write: "The cities import [the Wildness] at any price." The total cost budgeted for the San Antonio River Improvement Project is 358.3 million dollars. I doubt Thoreau ever imagined a city would ever pay that high a price to import (or in this case, restore) Wildness, but the benefits this project provides the community are, quite literally, priceless.