An Eclectic Floral Collection

Saturday, April 9, 2016

Plant communities thrive on diversity:

Wafer Ash (Ptelea trifoliata), Bee-brush (Aloysia gratissima), Prairie Spiderwort (Tradescantia occidentals), Prickly Pear (Opuntia engelmannii var. lindheimeri), Bush Sunflower (Simsia calva) and Roemer's Catclaw Acacia (Acacia roemeriana) are from six different plant families, but they grow in association with each other in our South Texas woodlands.

Wafer Ash is in the Rutaceae (Citrus) family. Bee-brush, aka White-brush, is a member of the Verbenaceae (Verbena) family. Prairie Spiderwort is from the Commelinaceae (Spiderwort) family. Prickly Pear is in the Cactaceae (Cactus) family. Bush Sunflower is a member of the Asteraceae (Aster) family. And Roemer's Catclaw Acacia is in the Fabaceae (Legume) family.

The greater the diversity of plant species forming a plant community, the greater the range of wildlife likely to be present and the healthier the ecosystem.

The Prickly Pear, appearing here in one of the photos with Bush Sunflower, is not blooming yet. They will be in full bloom by the end of May. Cacti are an important part of plant communities.

These photos were taken on a walk along Alpine Dr in Brackenridge Park on Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Click on the first photo in a post to open the photos in slideshow view.

Two Woodland Meadow Beauties

Thursday, April 7, 2016

Blue Curl and Coreopsis are two beauties that sometimes grace our woodland meadows in the Spring. Bluebonnets may get all the attention, but it is really something special to see both of these wildflowers blooming in a meadow this time of year:

These photos were taken on a walk along Alpine Dr in Brackenridge Park on Wednesday, March 30, 2016

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A Bouquet of Gaura, Winecup and Spiderwort

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

With the abundance this Spring, the majority of the posts will feature various selections of wildflowers in the next few weeks. These White Gaura, Winecup and Spiderwort make a beautiful Spring bouquet:

These photos were taken on a walk along Alpine Dr in Brackenridge Park on Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Click on the first photo in a post to open the photos in slideshow view.

Misty Drizzle Gems

Saturday, April 2, 2016

Misty drizzle may not amount to much in the rain gauge, but it works miracles for a multitude of plants:

Velvet Leaf Senna is just one of the numerous native plants benefiting from the damp weather we have had here this year. The misty drizzle falling during a walk one recent afternoon left liquid gems shimmering on the leaves.

These photos were taken on a walk along Alpine Dr in Brackenridge Park on Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Click on the first photo in a post to open the photos in slideshow view.

One Critical Thing These Three Share

Thursday, March 31, 2016

A good question to ask a class to begin a discussion might be: "Which of these species is not like the other two?"

The most obvious answer would be the turtles. But, among many other things, the Red-shouldered Hawk has a different way of catching its prey than the Red-eared Slider turtles and the Snowy Egret. So, there really isn't one simple answer to the question: which of these is not like the other two?

There is, however, one thing in particular that all three species share in common: the river. All three depend on the riparian habitat of the river for food, water, shelter and space: for survival.

These photos were taken along the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River upstream from the upper Mission Road trailhead to just past the pavilion on Monday, March 14, 2016.

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Springing Up Along the River

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

This is just a small assortment of wildflowers springing up along the river:

The American Basketflower with a bud that looks like a basket is just beginning to set flower buds. The Texas Yellowstar, False Dayflower, Baby Blue-eyes, Pink Evening Primrose, Southern Dewberry and Bluebonnets are in full bloom.

And a Common Buckeye butterfly was fluttering along the trail. Hopefully with an abundance of wildflowers this Spring, the butterflies will also flourish.

(A side note for gardeners who haven't quite caught on to how nature works, no caterpillars equals no butterflies. Please don't use insecticides on flower gardens. Any leaves caterpillars eat will grow back when the caterpillars have finished feasting.)

These photos were taken on a walk on the Acequia Park loop trail along the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River on Wednesday, March 23, 2016.

Click on the first photo in a post to open the photos in a slideshow view.