Beginning a New Year

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

My first walk of 2013 will be tomorrow. I'm not sure this evening where that walk will be, but it will probably be a trail I have walked in the past year.

There are a lot of miles of nature trails in Bexar County. I have seen varying numbers in different sources and I won't speculate on which is correct here. Whatever the number, I have walked a good many of the miles in the nineteen and a half months since beginning While on a Walk.

There are many miles of trails I have not walked yet, either because I just haven't gotten around to them, or because they recently opened. I am looking forward to walking these trails in this new year.

For today, here is another set of butterfly photos from my walk along the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River on Friday, December 7, 2012. This is a variegated fritillary (Euptoieta claudia) along with a white checkered-skipper (Pyrgus albescens) on firewheel flowers (Gaillardia pulchella Foug.):

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 Butterfly on Firewheel Extravaganza

Thursday, December 13, 2012

This past Friday when I walked along the San Antonio River, there were quite a few firewheel in bloom. This flower, Gaillardia pulchella Foug., is also commonly known as Indian blanket. The butterflies were having a feast on the flowers' nectar:

Keep in mind, these photos were taken a couple days before the arctic cold front blew through late in the weekend, bringing a couple nights below freezing with it. I thought about titling this post "Summer's Last Stand," but here in South Texas, summer rarely completely gives way to winter. Summer may go into hiding for a few days or even a couple of weeks, but it is never far away.

Woodland Theme and Variations, Part 2

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

This series of photos is a continuation from my walk yesterday on the Water Loop Trail at Hardberger Park:

A November Entry in the Salado Creek Chronicles, Part 2

Thursday, November 29, 2012

This is a continuation of my post from my walk yesterday along the Salado Creek Greenway. The light of the afternoon sun continues to cast its enchanting spell "as warm and serene and golden as on a bank-side in autumn (Thoreau, Walking)":

Without the light, there would be nothing.