2011/251: Drought
It’s pretty bad this year. Not only have we not had ANY significant rainfall, but we’ve had to deal with triple digit temperatures for most of the summer as well. Highs are still in the 90’s (above 30 degrees Celsius), and there’s still a chance that we’ll see triple digits again.The saddest part is that since December, wildfires here in Texas have burned over 3.5 million acres (an area the size of Connecticut), and destroyed over 1000 homes.
So far, we have been lucky and there haven’t been any wildfires too close to us. but yesterday morning I could smell the smoke from the Austin and Houston area fires here in the Dallas area. The fires are still burning and only a small percentage is contained.
Brown, very dry leaves…. something you’d expect to see in the middle of winter
The grass is so dry, it crunches when you walk on it (and scratches up your arm and knee when try to get a “bug’s eye view” picture – the sacrifices we make! 😉 )
The Daily Click 
Wow! I had no idea it was so bad!! I can’t believe the bottom photo is grass, looks like straw! We’ll try to send a little rain down your way – I hope the drought comes to an end soon!
8. September, 2011 at 07:10
Our city has signs about water conservation along some of the busy streets/roads, and right now WE are in a “moderate” drought (stage 2… I think there are 4 stages), but you can really tell how low the ponds and lakes are.
A little bit of rain would be great! A nice steady light rain, not one of those torrential downpours we usually get.
8. September, 2011 at 07:59
is that a redbud tree by any chance? I lost one in my backyard. one of my favorites.
I have been enjoying the beautiful flower shots you have been posting through the summer. Makes it easier to forget the dry landscape outside.
8. September, 2011 at 07:54
Yes, that’s a redbud. We have several in our front and back yards. I’m so sorry you lost one 😦 They are so pretty in the spring.
I’m glad you’ve been enjoying the flowers (nothing blooming around here either), I’ll be sure to post some more in the next few days.
8. September, 2011 at 08:01
Oh, how I wish I could send you the rain we are receiving! It’s rained for 3 days straight and today it’s coming down in buckets. Definitely not needed after Irene the previous week. Everything is out of balance. Love the photo of the dried, heart leaf, not what it represents but the color is gorgeous!
8. September, 2011 at 08:18
I have been following your plight and those of other Texas bloggers and photographers. I sure wish I could send you some of the rain Hurricanes Irene and Lee have dumped on us the last two weeks. There is record flooding south and east of me. Hardly seems fair.
8. September, 2011 at 09:38
Oh, this is terrible! The Northeast would GLADLY send Texas some rain. (It has poured the last three days here). Sigh. This is always the way it goes…one part gets too much rain and another gets no rain. I bet the cattle farmers are having a very tough time. Even so, you’ve managed to find some interesting subjects to photograph in a beautiful way. Hang in there. 🙂
8. September, 2011 at 10:58
I can only echo the other northeast bloggers’ sentiments – really wish we could send you some of ours. I hope all remains well enough in your area.
8. September, 2011 at 15:52
so hard to believe the extremes we’re having and how vastly different. We are under water w/ no signs of stopping for days. Some kind of balance for everyone would be a wonderful thing 🙂
8. September, 2011 at 18:43
Seems that it’s either one thing or the other….. I remember a summer a few years ago where all it did was rain, rain, and rain some more. And then there is this summer where the little bit of rain that we did get, evaporated out of the rain gauge faster than we could get out there and check how much we got.
Mother Nature needs to learn to divide the rain and sun equally 😉
8. September, 2011 at 18:50
I really do wish we could send you some of our rain. I know it’s been bad down there. I often wonder what Mother Nature has in mind when things seem (to me) so out of balance. Too much rain in one place. Not enough in another.
9. September, 2011 at 08:09
I’ve had two personal connections to the fires so far. One set of friends almost lost their house,
and an artist friend did have her house burn down. And I’m worried about another guy I know who lives east of Bastrop in the area that’s been hit so hard.
9. September, 2011 at 21:24
Wow, that is so sad! I’m glad your friends’ house was saved and I hope your other friend won’t lose his. I can’t imagine being one of those who were evacuated, and waiting on word whether or not my house is still standing. But in the end, houses can be rebuilt, posessions replaced (although not all of them), and it’s the lives that are most important.
Stay safe!
10. September, 2011 at 05:27
Yes, it’s terrible. I’m not aware that there have ever been wildfires in our part of Austin, but there are plenty of dry trees in the area (including around our house!), so who knows?
10. September, 2011 at 07:02
I wish I could have sent some of all our rain over for you – as I wrote in my last post, we had a record wet summer here in Denmark 😦
10. September, 2011 at 18:38
This drought is terrible. My neighbor lost almost all of his round bales due to a fire started by a moron throwing a cig out the window. He is who I bought my hay from for my horses. It’s costing us (and him) a fortune.
21. September, 2011 at 20:45