“The ultimate value in these marshes is wilderness, and the crane is wildness incarnate. But all conservation of wildness is self-defeating, for to cherish we must see and fondle, and when enough have seen and fondled, there is no wilderness left to cherish.
Some day, perhaps in the very process of our benefactions, perhaps in the fullness of geologic time, the last crane will trumpet his farewell and spiral skyward from the great marsh. High out of the clouds will fall the sound of hunting horns, the baying of the phantom pack, the tinkle of little bells, and then a silence never to be broken, unless perchance in some far pasture of the Milky Way.”
-pg. 101, “Sketches Here and There,” Aldo Leopold
This quote just got me thinking about our current situation and how finite everything is. It also got me thinking about which species would still be around when I turn old and which would be long gone from the influences of man.
Throughout March I made my normal trip around my parents’ house and noticed that spring has finally made its mark on most of the plant life, which now shines bright green with wildflowers running through the field. Another thing I’ve noticed walking through the fields around my house was the vast amount of mayflies darting away with each step I take. I don’t think I can recall ever having so many mayflies flying around our land and coupled with this retention pond near my house that hasn’t been draining, I feel like this year is going to have a bad mosquito problem. Let’s hope not though.
For one of the weeks I went out to McKinney Falls State Park and spent some time walking along trails. I identified some of the trees around the park with the LeafSnap app and found that most of them were native trees of the Texas region. My friend and I were keeping an eye out for wildlife and spotted a black vulture, a few song birds, and some deer tracks here and there. But other than that the park felt really empty of much wildlife, I guess since it is relatively close to Austin the chances for wildlife would be slim.
While there the rocks around the park really stood out to me. I noticed a lot of the hard rock that made up the ground around the falls had been cut by flowing water over time. The stone etched and eroded away from geologic process slowly grinding away over many years. It’s fascinating to think of how the water levels must have shifted and changed course over the hundreds of years to cause so many cuts in the rock. In a way it is humbling to think that these actions will continue to mark and change the landscape.
Further down the path there were some rock overhangs with what looks like a warped sedimentary buildup in the wall of the mountain. The force or pressure that would cause such a shift in the layers is impressive to think about.
Finally, we found this little area near the stream with a nice waterfall rolling over the edge.
