All in the Detail

The Northern Cardinal in this series of photographs is spectacularly obvious. What isn't so obvious is these photographs would likely not have been possible if it weren't for some tasty, sweet "minor" details. The Cardinal had found a large number of ripe Texas Persimmons on the ground below the persimmon tree not far off the trail:

This set of photographs was taken along the Oak Loop Trail in Hardberger Park on Monday, October 21, 2013.

Smooth, Sensuous Curves

The persimmon is the only native Texas tree in the Ebony Family*. Like their Asian cousins in the Ebenaceae Family, the larger trees have a black heartwood surrounded by a yellow sapwood. The Chapote Prieto, better known as the Texas Persimmon (Diospyros texana), is very common in South Central Texas woodlands.

Texas Persimmon is an ideal tree for native landscaping as long as two things are kept in mind. They are dioecious, meaning there are separate male and female trees and the ripe fruit produces a nearly permanent black stain. Therefore, male trees should be planted next to sidewalks and driveways so the fallen ripe fruit does not stain them.

The sensuously curved branches with smooth bark is quite attractive. The fruit is ripe when it is black and is edible for both people and wildlife. (But, again, keep in mind the fruit juice will stain one's fingers black.) This is the larval host plant for the Grey Hairstreak butterfly.

It has been a very good year for the Texas Persimmons here in Bexar County as the trees are currently loaded with an abundance of fruit:

This set of photographs was taken on the Water Loop Trail at Hardberger Park on Monday, October 14, 2013.

* The Ebano, also known as Texas Ebony, is not a true Ebony. It is actually in the Legume (Fabaceae) Family.

Springing Up in the Basin, Part 2

Thursday, March 28, 2013

This is the remainder of the photos taken on my walk along the Hondondo Creek Trails yesterday (March 27, 2013):

• The first photo is a Dewberry flower. I thought there would be a lot more Dewberry, and there might be, but this is the only one I found.
• The second photo is Greenbriar, also known as "nature's barbed wire." This vine is very common in wooded areas in South Texas. In some locations, it is difficult to walk through a wooded area because this vine has numerous very sharp prickles that have been known to cut through the pant legs of inexperienced (and at times, experienced) hikers. The tender young leaves of this vine make a tea that is very high in vitamin C.
• The third photo is Guayacan, also known as Soapbush. This shrub is more commonly found in the South Texas Plains and Northern Mexico, but grows as far north as Austin. It is called Soapbush because the bark of the roots was frequently used to make soap for washing wool.
• The fourth photo is a close up of the flower buds of the Wafer Ash, also known as Hoptree. The first two names are derived from the shape of the seeds. This shrub is actually in the Citrus family, not the Ash family. It is also sometimes called Skunk Bush because of the odor emitted by its leaves when they are crushed.
• The fifth through seventh photos are close ups of the flowers on a Texas Persimmon tree. The fruit of the Texas Persimmon is edible, but the tree is usually used in landscaping because of its beautiful, very smooth bark. This is an excellent native plant substitute for crepe myrtle. 
• The eighth through tenth photos are a Black-crested Titmouse. This bird remained perched just long enough for a brief portrait session.
• Unfortunately, the titmouse was perched on a very large Ligustrum, also known as Glossy Privet. Ligustrum are, by far, the predominant invasive plant species in the Olmos Basin. They have taken over large areas of woodland, completely crowding out native hardwoods. As can be seen in these photos, this shrub is loaded with berries, many of which are going to continue the rapid proliferation of this plant.

Land of the Spanish Dagger

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.

An Evening Among the Oaks

Friday, February 22, 2013

Hardberger Park, Oak Loop Trail

Today's photos:

I arrived at Hardberger Park fairly late in the afternoon. As so often happens at this time of the day, the quality of the light helped set the mood. The woods acquire something of a magical aura as the sun lowers towards the horizon.

• The first two photos are an American Crow. The distinctive "caw, caw, caw" the crow cried out attracted my attention before I actually saw the bird emerge from above the woods.
• The third and fourth photos are a White-winged Dove that was keeping close watch over the trail.
• The fifth photo is an Agarita shrub in full bloom. The agarita were the only flowers I saw blooming along the trail.
• The sixth photo is a Christmas Cactus also known as the Christmas cholla and tasajillo. Along with the numerous prickly pear clusters, the Christmas cactus grows in abundance in this area of the park.
• The seventh and eighth photos are Live Oak trees from which the Oak Loop Trail gets its name. The woods in this area is dominated by the live oaks. There are also some Ashe Juniper growing in the area. As can be seen in the eighth photo, the Texas Persimmon provides much of the lower understory growth, As a matter of fact, there is so much Texas persimmon growing along the trail, this could just as well be called the "Persimmon Loop Trail," but I guess that doesn't quite have the same appeal to it.
• The ninth photo is a close up of a Texas Persimmon trunk with its distinctive smooth bark.
• The tenth photo is a family of White-tailed Deer that were walking along the tree line along the edge of the recently cleared savannah restoration area. The PVC pipes are the irrigation system for the restoration project. This spring the newly planted prairie grasses will grow tall enough to hide the irrigation system from view.
• The eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth photos are a Turkey Vulture soaring through the evening sky above the savannah restoration area.
• The moon is the most obvious object in the fourteenth photo. Somewhat less obvious, but equally important, are the thin, wispy cirrus clouds being blown along in the jet stream high overhead.
• The fifteenth photo is another close up of a Texas Persimmon.

A Touch of Winter

Monday, December 10, 2012

Jack Judson Nature Trail, Olmos Basin in Alamo Heights

Today's photos:

We get two types of cold fronts in South Texas. Pacific cold fronts come off the Pacific Ocean and over the Rocky Mountains out of the west or northwest. The drop in temperature is usually relatively mild and of short duration. Arctic, or Polar, cold fronts come straight down the Great Plains out of Arctic Canada from the north. The temperature drop is always greater with the arctic cold front.

There is a saying here that the only thing between the North Pole and Texas is a barbed wire fence. And it's missing a strand. There really isn't anything to block the arctic north wind.

Keep in mind that any temperature below 60º F is considered cold in South Texas. Arctic cold fronts drop temperatures into the low 50's or colder for high temperatures and below freezing at night. Last night, the first arctic front of the year blew through Bexar County. We are forecast to have the first freeze of the season tonight and another freezing night tomorrow.

While the calendar beginning of Winter is eleven days from now, climatological winter just arrived. But then, this is South Texas and the forecast highs for this coming weekend are to be back up in the low 70s. 

All that said, I headed to the Judson Nature Trail today knowing the dense tree canopy would provide a fairly good windbreak. The temperature was about 54º F, but without the wind and with a heavy jacket, it was quite pleasant. And the trees in this section of the Olmos Basin are always magnificent.