I Would Tell You It's Hot, But It's South Texas (So, What's the Point?)

Monday, March 18, 2013

Salado Creek Greenway South, South Side Lions Park Trailhead
upstream to the second pedestrian bridge north of Roland Ave

Today's photos:

It may be two days before the beginning of Spring which means it's still officially Winter, but (as I have pointed out so often on this blog) this is South Texas. Summer never recedes very far and today it came roaring back with a record high temperature for the date of 95º (F).

So, the point is averages don't mean much here. We can easily get more than a month's average rainfall in less than 24 hours. If that is the only rain event for the entire month, we have still exceeded the "average" monthly rainfall. We aren't very likely to have a string of cold days in the middle of Summer, but a string of hot days in Winter is not at all unusual.

More specifically for this walk, the point is that the tree canopy made the experience much more enjoyable by lowering the temperature ten to fifteen degrees along the trail. I could digress with a discussion of the importance of tree canopy in the urban environment and how improved urban water drainage methods could increase soil moisture levels through the use of enhanced infiltration techniques, but I'll save all that for other occasions.

• The first photo is the trunk of a Honey Mesquite tree growing in the wooded upland area above the creek.
• The second and third photos are a Pearl Crescent. It wasn't sitting still in any one location for very long. The third photo is one of few were I have successfully photographed a butterfly in flight.
• The fourth through sixth photos are of a skipper butterfly feeding on Prairie Verbena. There are several skippers that look very much alike. The best I can tell, this is a Julia's Skipper.
• The seventh photo is a very tall Huisache tree in full bloom. There are so many Huisache blooming along this section of Salado Creek, the air is permeated with fragrance of the flowers.
• The eighth photo is Baby Blue Eyes. I think they are one of the most abundant wildflowers in bloom in Bexar County right now.
• The ninth photo is a view of the creek bank as seen looking downstream from the second pedestrian bridge north of Roland Ave. This is how a very healthy stream bank should look. The dense vegetation is growing on an area of deposition and very effectively preventing it from eroding.
• The tenth and eleventh photos are of Mexican Buckeye. This isn't a true buckeye, but its seeds resemble buckeye seeds. Mexican Buckeye is actually in the Soapberry Family.
• The twelfth photo is a view of the creek looking downstream under the Roland Ave bridge that is currently under construction. As with the ninth photo, this is a very healthy riparian ecosystem at this location.
• The thirteenth photo is an overview of another upland wooded area with a Huisache dominating the center of the photo.
• The fourteenth photo is a stand of mixed hardwood trees. This is the type of tree canopy that can easily lower the ambient temperature by ten, fifteen, sometimes even twenty degrees.
• The fifteenth through seventeenth photos are of a Texas Rose-bellied Lizard thoroughly enjoying the warmth (heat) of the late afternoon.