SAN ANTONIO — Vandals have hacked and hauled away almost every single bloom from the yucca plants in Southside Lions Park in southeast San Antonio.
One man calls it a crime against nature and a theft from everyone who enjoys the beauty of a public park.
Neighborhood resident Steven Kensing said, “To me, that's a shame because it deprives us of the beauty of seeing the yuccas bloom and it also deprives nature of an ecosystem.
Kensing has lived near the park for years and he said every year is the same.
People armed with big knives show up to harvest the petals to eat them about the time the plants put on their best display.
“When these things bloom out they're covered with insects, butterflies, moths, hummingbirds because they have a real heavy nectar and apparently that's what makes them a tasty dish as well,” Kensing said.
Kensing said he is not against the idea of provincial cuisine, but he is disappointed that a few people would steal what rightly belongs to the public.
“I'm a big one for provincial cuisine but my love for nature and seeing flowers in Texas springtime in full bloom supersedes my love for a tasty dish and it is a municipal code that they be left to bloom and complete their natural cycle and that's not taking place, unfortunately,” Kensing said.
Section 21-6 of the municipal code, subsection (b) states: “It shall be unlawful for any person willfully and maliciously to: (1) Cut, mar, injure or remove any tree, shrub or plant.”
Pointing out a lone survivor near the park’s serene lake, Kensing said, “This one was missed because it's a late bloomer and you can see how beautiful it is but there are three or four others on this particular stand of yucca that have been hacked off.”
Biologists said when the flowers are removed, the plant cannot produce seeds, and cannot grow a new crop for the animals and people who come to this natural oasis in a busy urban place.
“Each one of these will produce a seed pod that scatters seeds. If there are no flowers, there are no seeds, no new plants, and no future, no life cycle completed,” Kensing said.
A spokesman for the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department said Park Police are aware of the problem and will be keeping an eye out for thieves.
Stealing park resources is a misdemeanor subject to a fine of up to $500.