Well, it’s done. The grove of trees that graced the park’s Elk Road entrance is now a bunch of stumps and mulch. Here’s what it looked like when the cutting had just started, and what it looks like now.

The Rec Center stands forlorn, shorn of all its groves.

…………

The same avenue – picture from the opposite side. All the trees in the picture above are gone.

A lady came up as I took some photographs. “It’ll get better,” she said. “It’s a shock, but it’ll get better.”  Well, yes. How could it possibly get worse?

(We don’t know if they’re completely finished. Some of the posted trees still stand, but those are behind the Rec Center Building. We don’t know if they’ve been spared, or there will be a second round of tree-cutting.)

BETTER NEWS

But there is some better news. The gnarly acacia trees that children love to climb – most of those are still there, particularly tree #22. We don’t know if SFRPD has decided to spare them, or if they’ll be cut later. When I went by, a family was playing on the lawn and their little boy – maybe 2 or 3 years old – was trying to climb one. He was little and the tree was big, but he was determined…

The owl tree looks promising, and when we went by, there wasn’t much disturbance. Great Horned Owls can tolerate a lot as long as they’re not threatened; after all, this pair have raised their broods where people walk their dogs, and children play. So we are hopeful.

The canyon is just splendid with wildflowers, even prettier now than before. The grass is a brilliant green, the oxalis almost neon yellow, and drifts of mustard a warm gold.

Wild radish interrupts with pink blossoms, and occasional California poppies add orange exclamation points. The eucalyptus is flowering.

It’s bee heaven out there, and I’m pleased to say the last remaining bee tree (of the three that existed only two years ago), seems to be flourishing. I saw a bees coming and going in a peaceful but busy way.