Friday, June 13, 2014
As I mentioned at the beginning of the previous post, I have been very active so far this year. I have walked regularly preparing for and leading tours. I also found time on occasion to take an abundance of photos.
Today's post is a look back at the Medina River Natural Area in mid-June. This set of photos was taken along the El Camino and lower Rio Medina trails:
From top to bottom:
Photos 1, 2, 3, 4: Turk's Cap (Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii)
(Turk's Cap is blooming profusely this summer.)
Photo 5: Prickly Pear (Opuntia sp.)
Photo 6: Alamo Vine (Merremea dissecta)
Photo 7: Pearl Crescent butterfly (Phyciodes tharos)
(I might publish another post later about the decline in pollinators. From what I have observed over the past year or so, there has been a dramatic reduction in the number of pollinator insects of all kinds here in Bexar County.)
Photo 8: Mustang Grape leaves (Vitis mustangensis)
Photo 9: Fragrant Flatsedge (Cyperus odoratus)
It has been a cold, wet, dreary weekend here in Bexar County and this wintery weather is forecast to continue through today. I share these Manzanillas to brighten the day a bit:
All of the Turk's Cap I saw at the Medina River Natural Area on Tuesday were past the flowering stage and were bearing an abundant crop of Manzanillas.
This set of photographs was taken along the El Camino and Rio Medina trails at the Medina River Natural Area on Tuesday, November 19, 2013.
The bright red flowers of Turk's Cap (Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii) command attention as one walks by them along the trail, but there is so much more to this plant than just the attractive flower:
Turk's cap is a fairly common wildflower in the eastern Texas Hill Country, throughout southeast Texas and the southeastern United States. It is being increasingly recognized as a valuable native landscape plant.
This mallow grows exceptionally well in even relatively deep shade, but prefers partial sun and will tolerate full sun. It prefers moist soil, but is also surprisingly drought tolerant. Birds, especially hummingbirds, butterflies and other pollinator insects are drawn to the flowers.
The flowers, the young leaves and the ripe fruit are all edible by people. The flowers are frequently added to a green salad and other dishes for both color and a sweet accent. The young leaves can be cooked the same way any other green leafy vegetable is prepared. The ripe fruit is called manzanilla and, as the name implies, has an apple flavor. Manzanilla, meaning "little apple" in Spanish, is another common name for this plant.
This set of photographs was taken along the Yanaguana Nature Trail at Mission San Juan in the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park on Monday, October 28, 2013.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Brackenridge Park, Wilderness Trails
Today's photos:
It was back to the trail again after almost a month on the unforeseen detour. It was an awesome experience to say the least, but still something of a challenge. There is something about the quality of the light at Brackenridge Park that always fascinates me.
These photos are only a few of the highlights from my walk today. I will publish another post with more of the photos later in the week.
