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| EESAT Waterfall: Photo by author. |
I come away with wishing I had a full season observing this spot. However, watching through three months of winter as it transitions through to spring has allowed for the most interesting and turbulent weather changes in a typical Texas season. The most violent weather occurred while away. But the mandala took it in stride as it has done every previous season. What was once thought dead is in fact alive and thriving. Other life that was thought could not survive has proved very resilient. We will miss observing the summer’s unrelenting heat and many rainless days. It is sure to take a toll on some life while other types will bask in it.
Through the winter I observed countless minnows, a wasp and a hornet, one mockingbird, one cardinal, two sparrows and a red tailed hawk at altitude. One squirrel planted an acorn. Low ground cover, leaves and shrubbery trapped blowing trash which later disappeared under more dead leaves. The leaves then disappeared as spring growth broke through in a thick carpet. Surprisingly there was no flowering of any plant other than very sparse dollar weed. Pond algae grew by several inches as spring took hold making for a fresh source of food for the minnows. I saw few ground dwelling insects probably due to winter and their hiding under thick plant growth. Those few I did see were flying and too fast to identify. Other changes to the mandala are much too slow to see under any circumstance yet one knows they are happening. The waterfall and rain beat down on the sandstone slowly eroding it away into silt. Water froze and thawed in small cracks in the rock, which over time will make erosion easier. Lastly, during the entire four month period I saw only two people take time to observe with me and that was on the very last day. No one else gave the area a glance. It was nice to take time again just being quiet and watching. People don’t do it nearly often enough.
I drew pictures the entire time. I leave with an actual photo.
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