We finally received some decent rainfall this past week; ½ of rain on Tuesday 23 and 1 ½ inch on Thursday 25, finally relieving the bone dry conditions which have been ongoing since early August. Except for a paltry half inch in the last week in August, there has literally been no rain at all. A picture I took of a passing monarch butterfly recently shows the brown grass afflicting everyone’s lawns.
Only the toughest weeds stayed green. A dish of water I put out drew a steady stream of wasps and yellow jackets, so many in fact that birds stayed away from the bowl. Daily waterings of my garden kept that going but even trees seemed to show the pinch.
Even so, many oak trees produced huge numbers of acorns, making it necessary to sweep out the driveway over four times as acorns and their caps fell in a steady rain I could hear pretty much everywhere while out on my morning walks.
Squirrels and other acorn lovers will be feasting and hoarding well this fall.
Lastly, the change in foliage color is now underway, with bright yellows and oranges beginning to flare though it will probably be at least a week before we reach peak foliage here in northern New Hampshire.
How time flies! Have a safe and happy October.