Leon Creek Greenway, Buddy Calk Trailhead, South

Today's photos:

Most of the paved Leon Creek Greenway trail from the Buddy Calk Trailhead on Babcock Rd south to Prue Rd is on higher ground above the east side of the creek. It is more or less at tree canopy height for the trees growing along the creek banks. There are dirt trails on the west side of the creek bed that are at or close to the creek bed level.

This morning, I walked south on the paved greenway trail and returned to the trailhead on the dirt trail. Almost all of the photos presented here are from the dirt trail. The weather was beautiful. It was only 91 degrees at 1 pm and there was a nice breeze blowing.

It is difficult to tell from these photos how desperate we are for rain. There are many large trees along the creek that are beginning to die from lack of water. These trees are usually the last to begin to show drought stress, because the ground water usually lasts longer along waterways, even intermittent ones. On the other hand, many of the late summer flowering plants seem to be doing okay in spite of the drought. Hopefully, rain will return soon.

I haven't posted a photo of a cardinal in a while in spite of the fact they are probably the most common bird I have encountered on my walks. The photo posted above is long overdue. Once again, I took more photos today that will be included in upcoming posts.

Dragons and Damsels of Bexar County

One of the creatures I find most fascinating is the dragonfly and its close cousin, the damselfly. There are a surprising variety found in Texas, at least 207 species. There were dragonflies and damselflies in abundance along the Cibolo Creek at Crescent Bend Nature Park when I visited Friday, August 5, and along the Medina River on my walks there. Here are a few photos:

There are several differences between dragonflies and damselflies (obviously). The most prominent difference is that dragonflies perch with their wings open and perpendicular to their bodies. Damselflies perch with their wings together parallel to their bodies. Another difference is their eyes are structured differently.

Medina River Natural Area, Rio Medina Loop Trail

Today's photos:

I was in a meeting most of this morning and faced something of a dilemma for my walk. Ideally I would have made it an evening walk. However, as hot as it has been, it didn't seem like there would be much difference in terms of temperature whether I walked at 2 pm or 6 pm.

I hadn't walked the entire Rio Medina Loop Trail at the Medina River Natural Area yet and it provided the solution for my dilemma. This trail is almost entirely through fairly dense riparian woodland, so I could count on being in the shade for almost all the walk. Also, the trail is in the Medina River's natural flood channel. It is at least thirty feet lower than the surrounding upland. The temperature was at least ten degrees cooler on the trail.

Once again, photographically, it was a very prolific experience. Many more photos from the walk will be included in upcoming Tuesday / Thursday posts.