Earth Day Along the Acequia de San Juan

Monday, April 22, 2013

San Antonio River, Mission Reach, Mission San Juan Trailhead
upstream along the Acequia de San Juan to Acequia Park

Today's photos:

The recently opened section of greenway trails along the San Antonio River Mission Reach includes a trail located between the Acequia de San Juan on the east and the San Antonio River on the west side of the trail. The Acequia de San Juan and the Acequia de Espada to the west of the River are historic acequias built in the mid-1700s to supply water for irrigating the farmland that supplied the food for Mission San Juan and Mission Espada. These acequias are being restored in conjunction with the Mission Reach restoration project. 

This section of the trail was a perfect location for a hike to celebrate Earth Day:

• The first photo is a pair of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks.
• The second photo is a Red-shouldered Hawk.
• The third photo is a White Prickly Poppy.
• The fourth photo is a Common Streaky-Skipper butterfly on a Blackfoot Daisy.
• The fifth photo is a ripening Dewberry.
• The sixth and seventh photos are overviews of the vegetation on either side of the trail. The Acequia de San Juan is just out of sight behind the the fallen tree in the sixth photo. The flowers in the foreground of the seventh photo are Firewheel.
• The eighth photo is a Bordered Patch butterfly on a Firewheel.
• The ninth photo is a cluster of Prickly Pear Cactus. It is a bit difficult to see in the photo, but there are Scarlet Sage growing among the cactus.
• The tenth photo is a Checkered White butterfly. It is enjoying the nectar from a tiny white flower I have yet to identify.
• The eleventh and twelfth photos are a small Red-eared Slider Turtle on a post that has fallen into the acequia.
• The thirteenth photo is looking upstream along the San Antonio River. The Espada Dam and Mission Parkway crossing are near the horizon.
• The fourteenth photo is looking downstream along the River from the Mission Pkwy crossing.
• The fifteenth photo is an overview of the vegetation growing along the Acequia de Espada to the west of the River. The yellow flowers in this photo are Coreopsis sp.
• The sixteenth photo is a Red-winged Blackbird.