The Dynamic, Life-giving Yanaguana

Thursday, July 18,2013

San Antonio River, Mission Reach, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park,
Mission San Juan Capistrano, Yanaguana Nature Trail

Today's photos:

The River was the source of life that attracted the Coahuiltecans to live along its banks. They called it the Yanaguana. When the Spanish arrived and began to settle in the area and establish the Missions, it was for the same reason. Rivers are living, dynamic systems, the source of water that supports all of life. The history of this River over the past four hundred years is quite complex, but it continues today to be a source of life and refreshment.

Other than damage to one of the boardwalk sections of the Yanaguana Nature Trail closest to the river channel, this trail not only survived the rain and flooding of late May, the surrounding natural area is flourishing. The rain in June and July has been infrequent and widely scattered as is typical for this time of year. The mid-summer heat has arrived, so the (relatively) cool air of the riparian woods is quite refreshing:

• In the first photo, I was photographing an Alamo Vine with its purple centered white flower growing among a cluster of red flowered Turks Cap when...
• In the second photo, a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird flew in to take advantage of all the nectar in these flowers.
• In the third and fourth photos, my attention shifted from the flowers to the Ruby-throated Hummingbird.
• The fifth through eleventh photos are of a Fatal Metalmark butterfly on a Goldeneye flower. The highly reflective metallic markings on this butterfly's wings are clearly visible in most of the photos in this series. This cluster of Goldeneye was almost 6 feet tall at its highest flower. This particular flower was at about 5 feet, so just a few inches below my standing eye level.
• Photos twelve through fifteen are a small sample of the damselflies that were abundant along the riverbank section of the trail. I haven't had time to definitively identify the species of the ones pictured here, so I'll let it go at that.
• Photo sixteen is a juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-Heron.
• Photo seventeen is a Viceroy butterfly. This is one of the butterflies that can easily be confused with the Monarch.
• Photo eighteen is a Purple Leatherflower.
• Photo nineteen is the bright, translucent red berries on a Pigeonberry.
• Photo twenty is a female Black-bellied Whistling Duck with her three offspring. If one looks very close, there is a dragonfly flying above the head of the last duckling on the right. This photo was taken looking north from E Ashley Rd. These ducks are in the diversion channel from the main flood control river channel to the original pre-channelized river bed below Mission San Juan.