Thursday, March 7, 2013
This set of photos of a Red-shouldered Hawk was taken on my walk through the Medina River Natural Area yesterday afternoon (Wednesday, March 6, 2013). If I knew how to write the HTML code, I would embed the audio for the distinctive cry of the red-shouldered hawk so that it would automatically play when opening the post. Even without the audio, this hawk can speak for itself through the photos:
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Medina River Natural Area, El Chaparral > Nogales >
Lower Rio Medina > El Camino Trails
Today's photos:
After a morning of leading a tour at the Medina River Natural Area, the best option for a walk today to take photos for a blog post was to go one more time around the trail loop in the early afternoon. This is just a small sample of what I encountered. Once again, I took so many photos, it will take a while to sort through all of them.
- The first photo is Spanish Dagger Yucca with a large stand of Prickly Pear cactus in the foreground and a Honey Mesquite tree immediately behind the yucca.
- The second and third photo are close ups of the Spanish Dagger Yucca flowers. The small green insect with the black spots just to the right of center is a Spotted Cucumber Beetle.
- The fourth photo is a close up of Texas Persimmon leaves. This particular tree has just set its new leaves and has done so earlier than most of the other persimmon trees in the area.
- The fifth, sixth and seventh photo are a Phaon Crescent butterfly getting a drink of water from between the rocks on the edge of the river. Phaon Crescents are very similar to Pearl Crescents except the Phaons have a yellow-orange stripe on the forewing.
- The eighth photo is a Texas Rose-bellied Lizard looking out over a low mound of soil. It wasn't much interested in posing for a photo. I was only able to take this one before it disappeared.
- The ninth photo is a Purple Leatherflower, also known as purple clematis, that hasn't quite fully opened yet.
- The tenth photo is a close up of Box Elder seeds still on the tree from the Fall. Anyone who knows much about tree seeds will immediately recognize that the box elder is in the maple family.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
When I walked around Elmendorf Lake on Monday, January 7th, there were quite a few Great Blue Herons. I was able to definitely identify four individuals. I saw more than that, but wasn't sure how many great blues I saw two or more times. These very large birds ruled and occasionally fought over the tops of the bald cypress on the main island in the center of the lake:
Monday, March 4, 2013
Leon Creek Greenway, Cathedral Rock Connector Trail
between the Cathedral Rock Park Trailhead and the Lindsay Pl Trailhead
Today's photos:
The last time I walked this trail was August 1st of last year and the title for the post was "The Peak of Summer." Now, there are still about two weeks left before the Spring equinox, but it didn't feel that way today with a high of 87º (F). This being South Texas, another cold front will blow through early in the morning tomorrow and bring the temperature back to seasonal normal with highs around 70º (F).
This trail is in the flood plain of Culebra Creek from Cathedral Rock Park to its confluence about a mile or so downstream with Leon Creek. The trail passes through a more complex riparian ecosystem than most of the creekway trails in San Antonio. This is apparently a result of a combination of the underlying geology and changes brought about by human occupation along the creek. Whatever the reason for the complexity, the trail always makes for an interesting walk.
- The first photo is a flower head on a White-brush. These are just beginning to bloom along the trail. The flower heads look almost identical to those on Kidneywood, but the leaves of the two plants are very different. Both plants have the common name, bee brush, because their flowers attract a large number of bees, but it adds to the confusion in identifying the two plants.
- The second photo is an American Snout butterfly enjoying the nectar of Agarita flowers.
- The third and fourth photos are a metallic green bee in the Genus, Agapostemon. There are approximately forty-five species in this Genus and, with my level of expertise, I wouldn't even begin to try to guess which species this one is. This bee is gathering nectar on a White-brush flower head.
- The fifth photo is an overview of the brush and grass lined creek bank. The sixth photo is a detail of one of the small trees that can be seen on the right side of the fifth photo. This is very typical South Texas brush.
- The seventh photo is Cochineal growing on prickly pear cactus pads. The fuzzy white spots are actually a protective cover the cochineal insect makes for protection. Cochineal insects are a major source of a highly valued bright red dye.
- The eighth photo is a Huisache tree in full bloom.
- The ninth photo is Scrambled Eggs. The insect on the flower on the lower left is too out of focus for me to identify. Someone who really knows insects might be able to identify it from its general appearance.
- The tenth photo is Prairie Verbena growing over a rock.
- The eleventh and twelfth photos are False Nightshade. There were a lot of these flowers by the trail just upstream from the Lindsay Pl Trailhead.
- The thirteenth photo is a Pearl Crescent butterfly. It is drinking nectar from the highly invasive, non-native plant, Bastard Cabbage. About the only good thing I can say about this plant is that it has provided a food source for a wide range of butterflies and bees during our ongoing drought.
- The fourteenth photo is an absolutely beautiful Live Oak tree with cirrus clouds in the background.
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.)
