Adventures in an Urban Riparian Woodland

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

San Antonio River, Brackenridge Park Segment (along Avenue A)

Today's photos:

As I have mentioned in previous posts, the section of the San Antonio River from Tuleta Dr in Brackenridge Park downstream to U.S. 281 has never been channelized for flood control. The urbanization of the surrounding area has definitely had a major impact on the ecosystem along this section of the channel, but the woodland vegetation and the tree canopy arching over the water has remained intact. 

• The first photo is a Parachytas decisus fly in the family Tachinidae. Identifying this large fly was not particularly difficult, but I haven't been able to find much specific information about it online.  Based on my own observations, this is a fairly common fly in Bexar County. This one is on a flower cluster of a Rough-leaf Dogwood.
• The second and third photos are a pair of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks.
• The fourth photo is a cluster of Red Oak leaves. Based primarily on where this oak is growing, I assume it is a Southern Red Oak, Quercus shumardii Buckl., but it could also be a Texas Red Oak, Quercus buckleyi Nixon & Dorr, or it could just as well be a hybrid of the two.
• The fifth and sixth photos are a Common Grass Spider, Agelenopsis spp.
• The seventh and eighth photos are an Inca Dove. This dove knew how to find a perfect location and pose for a photo.
• The ninth and tenth photos are a Gulf Fritillary butterfly on Canadian Wildrye grass.
• The eleventh and twelfth photos are a slider turtle. Who said turtles can't climb trees?
• The thirteenth photo is a slider turtle swimming in the river that surfaced to get some air.
• The fourteenth photo is an overview of the river looking upstream showing how the tree canopy shades the water. The shade helps to cool the aquatic habitat.
• The fifteenth through the seventeenth photos are two slider turtles sharing opposite ends of a small log. The turtle on the left is a Red-eared Slider. The one on the right doesn't have the red "ear" stripes. One of these days I will get a positive species identification for these turtles. From what I have seen, they are more common in Bexar County than the Red-eared Sliders.
• The eighteenth and nineteenth photos are a Northern Cardinal.