Leave Only Footprints, Take Only Photos; A Sunday Special Edition

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Leave Only Footprints, Take Only Photos

"There is nothing in which the birds differ more from man than the way in which they can build and yet leave a landscape as it was before."  -  Robert Wilson Lynd

The first and most fundamental rule of nature hiking is to "leave only footprints and take only photos." It occurred to me when I was editing the photos from my walk in Mud Creek Park Friday (January 25, 2013) that vultures are the epitome of this maxim: "leave no trace."

I am very tempted to climb on the soapbox and go off on a tangent here, but I suspect I would only be preaching to the choir. Put very simply, carelessly discarding plastic beverage bottles and cans is disgraceful. Tagging is abhorrent.

Anyway, I could never have imagined referring to anything related to vultures as "cute", and maybe that isn't quite the right word here, but this pair makes me think of a couple that has been together for a very long time sitting on a park bench. The interaction between the two says more than I could ever hope to write. I will let the photos of this pair of black vultures tell their own story. 

On the Yanaguana Trail Approaching the End of the Year

Friday, December 28, 2012

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

Today's photos:

Following a couple of cold days, this was another very pleasant mild one. There is another weather related saying here in South Texas. We have two seasons: summer and winter. They sometimes alternate days in the same week. That has definitely been true this December.

This set of photos very effectively communicates my experience of this walk. I only have two side notes to add.

The orange Japanese ladybug (Harmonia axiridis) is native to Asia and was introduced to the United States in the early 1900s apparently to control a major aphid infestation. They were reintroduced on a larger scale in 1979 and 1980 by the USDA to control another aphid infestation this time that was destroying pecan trees in the southeastern part of the country.They have been very prolific in South Bexar County this fall.

The other item I find of particular interest is the abundance of Texas baby blue eyes currently in bloom along the Yanaguana trail. According to the Native Plant Database at wildflower.org, the Nemophila phacelioides, Nutt. are annuals that bloom in March, April and May: "This plant blooms early and dies by summer." So, I guess even the wildlife is having difficulty keeping track of what season it really is here.

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.

When the Best Laid Plan Goes Awry

Friday, August 10, 2012

I thought I had a well laid plan* for my walk today. I knew, given what I had to get done this morning, I wouldn't be able to get out for a walk until late in the day. I also knew the weather forecast, which proved in the end to be accurate, had a heat advisory up for this afternoon. In fact, the actual air temperature high was 103º (F) with a heat index of 107.

So, with all that in mind, I had my sights set on an evening walk going into sunset. There was, of course, a 20% chance of isolated thunderstorms to consider, but that left an 80% chance there wouldn't be a problem. Sure enough, a line of severe thunderstorms formed late in the afternoon and headed south towards Bexar County. And, as so often happens, the line fell apart as it moved across the county line around 6 PM.

Granted, the northwest quadrant of the county had rain, wind, lightening and some damage. But that in itself didn't interfere with my plan. What finally altered my plan was a combination of the uncertainty the weather presented and the fact the clouds remained thick enough to effectively create an early "sunset."

Fortunately, I have more than enough photos to publish from previous walks. So, today's photos are the third set from my walk this past Wednesday, August 8. These photos were all taken along the upland El Chaparral Trail in the Medina River Natural Area.

While it is upland from the river, there is a pond that still has a small amount of water in it not far from the trailhead. A pair of cattle egrets and a snowy egret were finding a few things to nibble on in the shallow water. And there were any number of other creatures around the pond as well:

* As an interesting footnote, the title for this post is originally from the poem "To a Mouse" written by the Scottish poet, Robert Burns, in November 1785. The poem is relevant to the theme of While on a Walk. Click here for a link to the poem.