And Caterpillars Too

We often see the flowers and trees first, then maybe we notice the birds, the butterflies flitting around, feral cats stalking about. Grasses and the non-flowering perennials and annuals come later. But there's even more going on that isn't immediately visible to the quick scanning eye. For example, check out this monster!

This is the larva of the white-lined sphinx moth, Hyles lineata, which can be found flying around and pollinating flowers all about the neighborhood. The adult moths look like hummingbirds hovering in front of flowers and come out at dusk. This larva was found yesterday munching on an unidentified plant near the alamo vine where the creek intersects with Cherrywood. It's about 5 inches long or so, building up energy to transform into the adult moth.

Maintenance Plan

Here's the city's maintenance map for the Reach, divided into the upper portion and lower portion. The red and black striped area denotes mowing of a 4 foot perimeter. The orange stripes are paths mown 3-4 feet wide. Click on the images below to enlarge.

Recent Views of the Reach

Great photos of the Reach this spring provided by neighbor Vince. The next few years at the Reach will be the most challenging - and rewarding - times during the restoration process. The challenging part is living with the very tall grasses (most non-native) that are loving the rain and the fact that the Reach is no longer being mown.

The rewarding part is all of the amazing wildflowers, trees and shrubs that are making an appearance, many of them seeding by neighbors years ago are now thriving because there is no mowing. The evolution begins. In the photo above, for example, you can see firewheel (Indian blanket), Engelmann's daisy, horsemint, and coneflower.

Those tall grasses will likely decline in abundance as more natives take over and as trees grow and create shade. For now, we must be patient, and perhaps find beauty in them as well!