Monday, November 21, 2011
Today's photos:
I arrived later in the afternoon at Government Canyon State Natural Area (SNA) than I had planned, so today's walk was a bit shorter than most of my recent ones. The SNA is divided into three areas: Frontcountry, Backcountry and the Protected Habitat Area. The Frontcountry is relatively level compared to the other two areas. My walk today was a very short section of the Lytle Loop Trail crossing Government Canyon Creek and a short distance along the south side of the creek.
The only other comment I need to add is that, unlike all the other trails I have walked thus far, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department charges an entry fee to the state parks and SNA's. In the interest of full disclosure, I am exempt from the fee given my status as a disabled veteran. [One more thing I forgot to include: Government Canyon SNA is open Friday through Monday and closed Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.]
As usual, the photos tell the story.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Today's photos:
It has been about nine weeks since the last time I walked this section of the Salado Creek Greenway and about ten weeks since the wildfire scorched the creek and adjoining land east of Wetmore Rd. I set out on the walk today specifically to find out how this wetland section of Salado Creek was responding to the somewhat wetter weather we have been having since September and to see how, if at all, the burned area was beginning to recover.
What I encountered was another total sensory overload of the type I have come to expect when walking the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River. I now have what feels like, at this late hour, an overwhelming task of organizing the experience and the photos for publication. The photos published here are a mere sample, not even a real cross section, expressing my experience of today's walk. I will have at least two, and possibly three, more posts based on what I came away with today.
The best I can manage to say at the moment is that the wetland is wet and wow!!
As I mentioned in yesterday's post, the fall wildflowers are blooming in abundance at Eisenhower Park. Where there are flowers, it is a near certainty there are insects. In addition to the butterflies that are generally easy to see, if one looks close enough, one will find a wide variety of smaller insects:
