A Perfect Plant for a Rainy, Wet Day

The very distinctive Buttonbush is an obligate wetland plant, generally growing along the banks of ponds, lakes and streams and in other areas that tend to remain damp. They typically grow to be small to medium shrubs, but under ideal conditions can become small trees. Buttonbush is sometimes grown in ornamental landscapes, but their roots must be in damp soil, so they require a large amount of water.

Beyond its unique beauty, Buttonbush is a very beneficial plant. Once established, they have very strong root systems (stability rating 8). This is an excellent riparian plant to prevent erosion while withstanding significant floods.

There are at least two species of Sphinx Moths that depend on Buttonbush as a larval host. Birds, butterflies and other insects are attracted to the nectar of the flowers. Ducks and various shorebirds eat the Buttonbush seeds.

This set of photographs was taken on the Eagleland Reach of the San Antonio River on Friday, August 30, 2013.

Quality of Life, A Sunday Special Edition

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Quality of Life

"Joy is to fun what the deep sea is to a puddle. It's a feeling inside that can hardly be contained."  -  Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky (Discworld, #32)

A healthy urban wildlife habitat is also a healthy human habitat. This should be self-evident but it has actually been a lesson we humans seem to have been slow to learn. Study after study is verifying that a healthy urban wildlife habitat reduces the heat island effect common to most metropolitan areas, thus reducing energy costs. They also reduce both air and water pollution reducing the harmful effects the pollution causes in the health of urban populations. They increase infiltration of rain water into the water table reducing the amount of runoff that leads to flooding and increasing the valuable ground water supply. The list goes on, but this makes my point.

A healthy urban wildlife habitat also leads to a higher quality of life, reducing the stress of urban life. It is a joy to live in such a habitat. Much work remains to be done to bring San Antonio and Bexar County to its full potential in terms of having a healthy urban wildlife habitat, but compared to many, if not most, metropolitan areas of similar size, we have made much progress here. In fact, the 1997 City of San Antonio Master Plan Policies include the goal to "integrate environmental quality protection into all phases of local planning and policy implementation."* Many benefits of this goal are now being realized.

Of course, there are always going to be individuals, corporate entities and government agencies that are going to do things on the cheap to "save money." Almost always, the savings are short term and contain hidden long term mitigation costs. And, perhaps even more destructive, are those with no long term vested interest in the community that want to make a quick profit at the expense of the long term quality of life in the community. It is imperative that we remain vigilant regarding this sort of activity and work to keep it from occurring.

The point is we have already proven that in working together as a community with cooperation between the private and public sectors, and between government agencies at all levels, we can preserve and, where necessary, restore a high quality habitat for both people and wildlife. We can have a sustainable high quality of life that abounds in opportunities for experiencing a deep and abiding joy.

The photos in this post were taken on my walk along the San Antonio River this past Friday:

• The first photo is the Anacacho Orchid Tree in full bloom.
• The second and third photos are a Fiery Skipper butterfly enjoying the nectar of the Anacacho Orchid Tree's flowers.
• The fourth photo is the adult American Coot with one of its offspring.
• The fifth and sixth photo are a Spotted Sandpiper still retaining its spotless winter plumage. Some of these birds have begun to return to their summer spotted plumage, but most appear to be retaining the winter plumage for now.
• The seventh photo is a Northern Shoveler.

* Management Practices for Natural Waterways (pdf file)  (The quote is on pdf page 12 of this document.)

Beginning With the River

Friday, March 1, 2013

San Antonio River, Roosevelt Park Trailhead, upstream along the Eagleland Reach

Today's: photos:

I began While on a Walk with a walk along the San Antonio River. It got the blog off to a very good start. I really couldn't think of a better location to begin the journey through the next 500 posts.

The Eagleland Reach from S Alamo St  to Lone Star Blvd was the "proving ground" for the Mission Reach restoration project downstream. This is where the initial feasibility studies were done to prove that the reconfiguration of the fluvial geomorphology of the river could be successfully accomplished within the constraints of the flood control channel. So this is where the entire River Restoration Project began.

• The first photo is a Cowpen Daisy. At least that's what I think it is. The yellow asters can be notoriously difficult to distinguish one from another. Not to mention, I really like the name "Cowpen Daisy." (Update, March 2, 2013, 11:15 PM: My go to person for plant identification tells me this flower is NOT Cowpen Daisy. He assures me this is actually (more than likely?) Slender Greenthread, Thelesperma simplicifolium Grey. I had a hunch when I took this photo I was about to learn a little more about plant identification. Though, I still really like the name "Cowpen Daisy." )
• The second and third photos are Guadalupe Spiny Softshell Turtles. It was a very good day to be out enjoying the sun.
• The fourth photo is a Pied-billed Grebe. (Update, March 24, 2013, 5:05 PM: I'm not sure how I missed this one when I originally posted this, but I had mistakenly identified this grebe as a juvenile American coot.)
• The fifth photo is an American Coot.
• The sixth and seventh photos are a Great Blue Heron.
• The eighth photo is an overview of the river channel as the river comes out of a bend. The low rock wall along the river bank on the outside of the curve is an example of one restoration technique that was used along the Eagleland reach. This wall minimizes erosion on the cut bank side of the river. Its design and use of material compliment the surrounding landscape architecture while fulfilling a specific hydrologic function.
• The ninth photo is a damselfly. There were numerous damselflies of a wide range of species active along the river. I have a lot to learn about identifying damselflies and dragonflies, but this appears to me to be a female Blue-fronted Dancer (Argia apicalis). I may not have the species correct, but I am reasonably certain this one is in the Genus, Argia.
• The tenth and eleventh photos are my friend, the Red-shouldered Hawk keeping an eye on me from a perch in a Bald Cypress on the opposite side of the river.

Something to Brighten a Dreary, Grey Day

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Here in San Antonio, today has been a grey, overcast day, much cooler than forecast. As a matter of fact, the high temperature was about five degrees cooler today than yesterday.

Monday (December 24), when I walked the Eagleland Reach of the San Antonio River, the cold front had not yet arrived. It was a bright, sunny, warm afternoon. This is the remainder of the photos from that walk.

The mockingbird tried to steal the show (as mockingbirds frequently try to do), but it's difficult to upstage a great egret:

An American Coot, A Wednesday Morning Supplement

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

An American Coot, A Morning Supplement

I do have a lot of photographs from previous walks that I have yet to publish. "A Morning Supplement" is a new feature I am adding to While on a Walk to publish some of these photos. It will be an occasional supplement published as time allows (so probably, very occasional).

This set of photos of an American coot was taken on my walk along the Eagleland Reach of the San Antonio River this past Monday, December 24.

The American coot is a fascinating bird in that it looks very much like a duck, at least when it is swimming, but it's not a duck. For one thing, it does not have webbed feet. Coots don't look much like a Rail, but are actually in the same taxonomic family: Rallidea:

Christmas Eve, Chasing Butterflies

Christmas Eve, Monday, December 24, 2012

San Antonio River, Eagleland Reach, Blue Star Trailhead downstream

Today's photos:

All I can say is, there is nothing quite like chasing butterflies (literally) on Christmas Eve. It isn't exactly what I expected to photograph as I drove to the River, but then I never quite know what I will encounter. What I encountered today was another abundance of butterflies, especially the gulf fritillaries and orange sulphurs, and other kinds of butterflies as well.

A Change in the Weather

Friday, October 26, 2012

San Antonio River, Eagleland Reach

Today's photos:

A major cold front blew into South Texas last night dropping the temperatures into the upper 50s (F) for most of the day. This kind of front is typical for this time of year and had been forecast well in advance of its arrival. What wasn't in the forecast was a strong thunderstorm midday that brought very heavy rain and an urban flood warning.

As I have mentioned in a couple of previous posts of walks along the Eagleland Reach of the San Antonio River, this stretch of the river is relatively safe to walk given these weather conditions. It is within the elaborate flood control system that protects downtown San Antonio from major flooding.