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Post by Andorinha on Mar 14, 2021 9:49:45 GMT -6
Youse folks up north have had more than your share of snow this season -- hoping you are finished with it too! They got five inches on the top-most peaks of the Catalinas, we got two inches in our backyard, and it stayed cloudy until 3 PM, so the stuff was here a lot longer than I had predicted. Had to remove ice sheets from the bird baths, refilled with house water, had birds waiting on the fence-wall for me to go back inside, then they swooped into he baths, three finches in one, four ruffian looking sparrows in the other. Cold again last night, no clouds, bird baths frozen again... Getting some good wild flowers in our yard, lots of Parry's Penstemon, two types of marigolds, some Canterbury Bluebells, and a pleasant surprise: an orange globe mallow. Also getting a healthy crop of weeds I'll have to grub out... Must have been sleeping restlessly that morning, anyway partly awake, glanced at alarm clock, then noticed that I could clearly see the entire room. Thought that "odd" enough to crawl out of bed and see why the curtains were so light that early... No radiation damage that I can detect -- so far... Attachments:
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Post by Stormrider on Mar 14, 2021 11:39:57 GMT -6
All the birds and flowers. Arizona is so beautiful in the Spring. We used to go during Spring Break. Loved it there then.
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Post by Andorinha on Mar 16, 2021 21:31:45 GMT -6
Seems to be about once in seven years that the Spring flowers in the Tucson Basin are absolutely world class -- still remember 1995 as the "best of the best of the best." Hundreds of square miles of desert-scrub brownlands covered with pink, blue, orange, white, crimson, scarlet, ruby red, and a dozen shades of yellow... Think I stopped breathing for four or five days straight through, sustained pneumatically by the sheer parade of colors...
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Post by Andorinha on Jul 11, 2021 12:27:51 GMT -6
Getting our monsoonal rains -- finally. Two inches down in the basins, 5 up in the peaks. Strange lightnings last night in the mountains, continuous flashes like some Great War battle -- but curiously, no thunder. Have not heard about any new fires, so that is good. Saguaros were very skinny for a while the first half of this summer, they are starting to fill up again, and the upper slopes are getting somewhat green. Still have not had enough rain this year to bring out the wildflowers. Not much wildlife either, a very few butterflies, just a couple of scrawny lizards, the usual finches and sparrows -- but did see my first-ever Bullock's Oriole, hunting about in our potted plants. Attachments:
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Post by fanuidhol on Jul 11, 2021 13:42:18 GMT -6
What a beautiful bird! I bet it was a sight to see!
Been watching the western weather. Wish I could even send a fraction of the rain we've had out your way! So sad that the wildflowers haven't bloomed. Glad that there hasn't been any new fires. Keeping my fingers crossed for you!
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Post by Stormrider on Jul 11, 2021 13:46:23 GMT -6
That is a beauty, but I'm partial to orange. Yes, Wisconsin has been rainy and it would be nice to send some of it to you, too! Illinois has been drier this Spring than normal.
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Post by Andorinha on Jul 24, 2021 10:26:44 GMT -6
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Post by fanuidhol on Jul 24, 2021 11:59:34 GMT -6
I am so happy for you! And this is a chance for nature to recover from the devastating fire and hopefully prevent a repeat.
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Post by Stormrider on Jul 24, 2021 16:06:54 GMT -6
I was thinking about you when I heard there was a monsoon down your way. So glad you are getting some of that precious water.
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Post by Andorinha on Sept 1, 2021 14:39:53 GMT -6
Rain, rain, rain! This is now the fourth raniest monsoon in Arizona history. TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - According to the National Weather Service, As of 11:00 A.M. on August 14th, the Tucson International Airport has recorded 1.60′' of rain, pushing our monsoon total to 10.75′' making 2021 the 4th wettest monsoon on record in Tucson. The yearly rainfall total stands at 11.79′' which also makes 2021 the 4th wettest year to date." Our backyard rain gauge totals give us 12.5 inches locally, and the butterflies are going crazy. I've seen more this week, in absolute numbers, and species type than I've seen in 20+ years. Our backyard lantanas are covered in Snout Butterflies, 40 or 50 any given moment, 5 or 6 big, Mexican yellow, even a few rare fritillaries, and the even more rare cresphontes. A remarkable year, indeed -- all due to the great deluge of this last two months.
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Post by Stormrider on Sept 2, 2021 7:37:47 GMT -6
Very pretty butterflies! Glad you've had a good amount of rain this summer.
Illinois was dry for awhile but ended up getting enough rain to keep the grass green even in August. Of course, August had some tornadoes but that is normal.
Meanwhile, while we were camping in Wisconsin for most of the summer, we had quite a bit of rain. Even the campsites were getting flooded!
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Post by fanuidhol on Sept 2, 2021 12:12:24 GMT -6
So pretty! I bet the butterflies and flowers are keeping you smiling. Your area sure needed a bountiful year after the fires of last. Hope trees, cacti, and wildlife bounce back.
We are down an inch. No biggie. The grass has received enough to keep it green, but my river birches are dropping some leaves.
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Post by Stormrider on Sept 3, 2021 9:27:04 GMT -6
I heard that the fall color are going to be pale compared to their usual vibrant tones of past years. Has something to do with the day length and sunshine and amount of rain.
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Post by Andorinha on Sept 4, 2021 20:04:21 GMT -6
Have not heard any predictions for our neighborhood. Usually start getting color changes in October, not much of a show the last three or four years -- maybe all the rain this last month or two will alter that?
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Post by Andorinha on Sept 7, 2021 4:13:30 GMT -6
We thought the Monsoon had largely finished, but got an unexpected deluge here in SaddleBrooke on the 5th of this month. One of my climbing buddies made these videos and stills. His house is about 150 feet lower than ours, so we had two inches of rain in our gauge but no accumulative flooding. rumble.com/vm672j-flooding-at-saddlebrooke-near-tucson-az.html
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