The forecasted storms have rolled in. We got a brief drenching yesterday afternoon, it definitely rained overnight, and the rain ramped up again this morning. Walking out in the downpour to shut the chicken coop door reminded me why rain is so important, in ways we take for granted.
It’s been hot and really humid lately – and that’s not unusual for this area at this time of year. The precipitation means that the pails we use for the waterfowl have filled with clean rainwater overnight, saving (filling) time and water in the morning.
It also means that the recently-discovered volunteer cantaloupe plants won’t need to be hand-watered today. I’ve since trimmed the grass around the plants, mulched, and have fertilized and watered the plants daily, hoping to see a melon or two sometime this summer.
A lone sunflower has also grown in the same patch and receives the same treatment.
The rain also means that the Queen Anne’s Lace, a food source for Swallowtail Butterfly caterpillars, will continue thriving.
Full puddles and water collecting in various depressions means the salamanders, frogs, and other moisture-loving animals will be luxuriating in it today. Birds and other wildlife will find that bathing (and drinking) spots abound.
Let’s not forget petrichor, too: the uniquely damp and earthy scent of geosmin really does tap into something primal…something that makes me want to spend a week backcountry camping and fishing. And, because the rain has cleared the air, I’ll take deep lungfuls of it. Thank you, rain!
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