It’s springtime at the ranch, and every day is dawning earlier, the flowers are bursting forth everywhere, and it’s my favorite time of the year. (Allergies not withstanding.)
Here’s a few from past years. The Joshua trees didn’t flower this year. I’m not sure what the cycle is, but some years the flowers are fabulous, other years they are sparse to non existent.
As the heat has increased over the last month, the fabulous wildflower season comes to an end. Today, we’re remembering. Here’s a few highlights:
In many years, without adequate moisture, the Joshua Trees won’t do anything. In the years of plentiful rain though, it’s quite the spectacle.
It’s been a wet year so far. Today we received a light rain. On top of the rains of January & February and the upcoming rain on Friday, we are looking at what may be a rather good wildflower season.
In a perfect year, we would receive a decent soaking at least every two weeks from September to March. In most years, this just doesn’t happen, and this year was no exception.
We did get some decent rains in October, but November and most of December were devoid of any rain. There’s still hope though, and the relatively moist run that we’ve so far this season will really help this year. (At least one can dream.)
In 2005, we had a particularly wet year. The groundwater was so abundant that water ran across Alamo Rd. in spots for months. There were “seasonal” streams that had been dry for years that suddenly became babbling brooks. It was a verdant green time, and the desert was simply splendid.
Will 2019 be another stunner? Time will tell
