A (very) little rain

Brown-eyed susans

A bit a rain dampened Roundtop this weekend, though I seem to have missed the bulk of it. I had enough rain to dampen the forest, but only a few miles away more than an inch was recorded. I could have used more than fell here but at least there was something.

Even that was too late for some of the forest flowers. The spotted touch-me-not, among others, have shriveled and died. As a result, I can now see the ground in portions of the forest, instead of the knee-high understory that covered it as recently as last week. The rain also knocked down the yellowed leaves that made the forest look as though the season was early autumn.

I hope I had enough rain to replenish the little stream where the camp kids will attempt to terrorize catch crayfish tomorrow. With the next few days edging near 100 degrees again, any benefit from the rain is likely to be short-lived. Still, a bit of rain is better than none.

What rain I had did wonders for these brown-eyed susans. They bloomed almost overnight. I have been watching this patch on the edge of the forest near the cabin for a while now, waiting for the buds to bloom. And waiting. Even on Saturday the patch was not completely out. It was only during this morning’s walk with Dog that I saw they were all finally fully open. And now I am eager to revisit other spots on the mountain to see what else a little rain has done.