ARASTRADERO PRESERVE

JUNE 21, 2012 (Word/LIFE/More on life)

Monday last, was my time on my own terms. I was determined to go for a good walk. I had the binoculars, camera, ample water and a mind set that would force me to move as I pleased, look as I should and respond to sounds often discarded as being obstacles to my other goals. I was hiking Arastradero Preserve in Palo Alto, having decided to walk the length of the creek trail/road giving myself ample time, be it two or three hours, to reasonably explore the flora and fauna I had sampled in previous visits over the years.

The changes of time were obvious: trails abandoned and others developed and well cared for; views of the small lake now obscured by the abundant growth of willow, oaks and cattails; the small upper pond unaccessible, now surrounded by willows, sedges and poison oak; trees once proud and upright, now down and decaying; the natural progress of nature showing its power.

Glances of movement and color required stopping and investigation as with the small sounds from above and below. From a pair of White-tailed Kites harassing a Cooper’s Hawk for straying too near to an unsurpassed flash of blue from a Lazuli Bunting, all were recorded in one fashion or another, be it camera or by mind. Inspecting leaves revealed the marvelous shapes and colors of leaf and stem galls, while skimmers, butterflies and moths drifted across the road as I made my way into the upper reaches of the Preserve.

Having reached my 75th year I have made a concession to modern day electronics. IF I expect to continue to make excursions like this one, on my own without a companion or two, I must have a means of communication in case something happens. So my peaceful demeanor was interrupted. My pocket was making a strange noise. I reached into my pants pocket and extracted a cell phone. As basic a service as one can get: while on it can make and receive calls; OFF is just that. OFF! Nada! Zip! Zero! No messaging, no texting, no internet. What I have is ON/OFF! almost like the old wall telephones only it lives in my pocket.

The discovery of several plants of Slender-leaf Milkweed in bloom was a nice reward for this leisurely walk as well as learning about a new plant (to me) Phacelia, one that belongs in southeast California and not here. This looks like another case of hiking in one place and then transporting hitchhiking seeds to another. I noticed also a definite lack of California Oak Moths. Other areas of the Peninsula have had a severe outbreak of this pest but here there seems to be few adults. I do not recall seeing even one. The list grew with Brown Towhees Dark-eyed Juncos, Woodpeckers and Quail along with the Oaks, Willows, Toyon, Coyote Bush, Ocean Spray, Honeysuckle, Strawberry and Mint. All familiar and in their own places as I walked the edge between differing plant communities.

I reached a switch-back in the road, a wide area I had no memory of. I rested for a few minutes and decided that my walk had reached its farthest point (I was only 0.2 mile from the upper gate, but I didn’t know that at the time) and that I would return down the road and explore everything again from a different perspective.

The more I observed the more things had changed. Or was it that I had changed in this short period of time? The more we try to exert our power over the land, the harder the land fights back, seeking its own balance; as much as I was seeking balance while being acted upon by everything surrounding me that morning. I too was acting, listening, as well as urging myself to have an intimate conversation with nature. Sometimes it is easy to pretend you are a naturalist.

Posted on June 25, 2012 10:17 PM by bob-dodge