The River’s Quiet Garden

Although I enjoy biking at San Gabriel Park in Georgetown, Texas, lately I’ve spent more time walking one particular trail there — Katy Crossing. It’s a beloved route for mountain bikers, but what keeps drawing me back, besides the riding, is the quiet variety of flora and fauna that lines the San Gabriel River.

This past Sunday, I went for a short walk along the trail, mostly to test a Tamron 150–500 mm zoom lens that a friend had loaned me. With my growing love of bird photography, a good zoom will be essential if I want to become a serious birder — that story is yet to reach a final decision. What is undeniable, though, is that the flora and fauna along this trail never disappoint me. In merely an hour and a half, I captured over 200 frames (the burst mode helped) and twenty-nine different species of birds and plants combined. When I realized the birds were hiding from me — except those wading in the river — I started looking down at the path ahead and out into the grasses for other subjects. The images here barely scratch the surface of what I saw that afternoon, but the lens passed its test: the Tamron renders beautifully at 500 mm and at 150 mm as well. I especially liked the vivid colors and the close-up detail it pulled in.

The river’s stone crossing is also a dining table. This Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (Nyctanassa violacea) had just plucked a crayfish (Procambarus sp.) from the shallows and was working out how to swallow it whole. Despite the “night” in its name, this heron forages in daylight too, and crustaceans are its specialty — its short, thick bill is built for cracking shells. The birds stand about 24 inches (60 cm) tall, and once you know to look for the soft yellow crown stripe and the sharp white cheek patch, you’ll start spotting them all over Central Texas waterways.

Once I gave up on the birds, the dragonflies started showing themselves. This is a female Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis), unmistakable for her electric green body and the black bands marching down her abdomen. Mature males of the species turn a powdery, chalky blue, but females keep their green throughout their lives. They are about 1.7 inches (4.3 cm) long and surprisingly fierce hunters — they’ll tackle prey nearly their own size. She let me get close enough to count the panes in her wings. The Tamron was remarkable in those details.

These are Indian Blankets, also called Firewheels (Gaillardia pulchella) — the unofficial color of a Texas late spring. They’re a native annual, drought-tolerant, and they bloom from late spring well into summer in fields, ditches, and along roadsides. The folk name comes from the way the rim of red and the center of yellow recall the patterns of woven Indigenous blankets. Stand at the right angle in late afternoon light, and a whole field looks like it’s smoldering.

The other Texas wildflower I can never resist is the Mexican Hat (Ratibida columnifera) — a native perennial whose drooping petals and tall central cone really do look like a tiny sombrero tipped against the wind. They favor dry, sunny prairie and bloom from late spring well into fall. This one stood almost alone in the grass, a small spot of red and yellow holding still long enough for the lens to find it.

Some afternoons, the river is the destination. On other afternoons, it’s simply the doorway. This one was the second kind.

That is the story behind the shots. If you liked this post, you may also be interested in others featuring Eastern Pondhawk, Firewheel, FlowerHour, Georgetown, Katy Crossing, Mexican hat, One Step, San Gabriel Park, Parks, San Gabriel River, Texas, Wildflowers, Wildlife, and Yellow-Crowned Night Heron. Until the next time, keep clicking and capturing the beauty your eyes find.

Posted for Terri’s Flower Hour # 29.

Posted for Pepper’s One Step at a Time # 8.

Sources

• All About Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology) — Yellow-crowned Night-Heron species account.
• Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center — Gaillardia pulchella (Indian Blanket).
• Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center — Ratibida columnifera (Mexican Hat).
• Texas Parks & Wildlife Department — Freshwater crayfish of Texas.
• Odonata Central / University of Texas at Austin — Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis).
• USDA NRCS PLANTS Database — Native wildflowers of Texas.