On Tuesday evening we had a rainfall totaling 1.4 inches. Not a drought buster, but it’s about equal to the total rainfall for August and September combined. A nice rain, even if the storm was a bit violent at times. The rain didn’t actually change the color of anything, but color is masked by a dry surface and the moisture allowed the colors to shine through unobstructed.
The Little Bluestem now stands out with its bright, copper colored leaves. The entire landscape acts as though it has received a massive stress relief treatment.
The ferns have plumped up their leaves and the mosses have rehydrated. There is once again a feeling of vitality at Blue Jay Barrens.
The fallen leaves have softened, so walkers can move quietly down the trail. The leaves were so dry that I couldn’t take a step without announcing my presence to everything within a hundred yards. I much prefer to move in a stealthy manner.
Everything in the woods has lost its covering of gray. Mossy logs, dark tree trunks and bright leaves now liven up the woodland.
The rain wasn’t nearly enough to bring back the creek. It’ll take many inches of rain before the water begins to replenish the ground water reserves. The leaves lay ready to put nutrients into the stream ecosystem, but without water there are no aquatic organisms available to make use of the food source.
Some water has accumulated in this deep hole that formed beneath a fallen log. I bet this will draw in a lot of animals. I keep thinking of the dehydrated Eastern Box Turtles I found in September and hope this rain somehow provided a source of drinking water for them.
The deer need to be more cautious when running down a muddy trail. I’ve never actually seen a deer slip and fall, but they can definitely do some fancy foot work and it always seems to be the trail that sustains the most damage. Now I’ve gone too far. Our first rain after almost four months of drought and I’m complaining about the mud.
On Tuesday evening we had a rainfall totaling 1.4 inches. Not a drought buster, but it’s about equal to the total rainfall for August and September combined. A nice rain, even if the storm was a bit violent at times. The rain didn’t actually change the color of anything, but color is masked by a dry surface and the moisture allowed the colors to shine through unobstructed.
The Little Bluestem now stands out with its bright, copper colored leaves. The entire landscape acts as though it has received a massive stress relief treatment.
The ferns have plumped up their leaves and the mosses have rehydrated. There is once again a feeling of vitality at Blue Jay Barrens.
The fallen leaves have softened, so walkers can move quietly down the trail. The leaves were so dry that I couldn’t take a step without announcing my presence to everything within a hundred yards. I much prefer to move in a stealthy manner.
Everything in the woods has lost its covering of gray. Mossy logs, dark tree trunks and bright leaves now liven up the woodland.
The rain wasn’t nearly enough to bring back the creek. It’ll take many inches of rain before the water begins to replenish the ground water reserves. The leaves lay ready to put nutrients into the stream ecosystem, but without water there are no aquatic organisms available to make use of the food source.
Some water has accumulated in this deep hole that formed beneath a fallen log. I bet this will draw in a lot of animals. I keep thinking of the dehydrated Eastern Box Turtles I found in September and hope this rain somehow provided a source of drinking water for them.
The deer need to be more cautious when running down a muddy trail. I’ve never actually seen a deer slip and fall, but they can definitely do some fancy foot work and it always seems to be the trail that sustains the most damage. Now I’ve gone too far. Our first rain after almost four months of drought and I’m complaining about the mud.
Hi Steve ...We seem to always have something to complain about don't we!!
ReplyDeleteWell golly gee you all got some rain, and I did think of you when the weather said some bad storms for Ohio, but like here they could say snow but it would be in the mountains only!!
Hope this perks things up for the Barrens!!
Hi, grammie g. Things are certainly brighter now. The rain washed the road dust off of the plants, so you actually see colors when you drive down the road.
ReplyDeleteHurrah for rain! It's about time! :-)
ReplyDeleteHi, TGIQ. It's nice to walk through the yard now without crunching with every step.
ReplyDelete