As fall approached the weather forecasts were all talking about the probability of wet winter. Pacific ocean temps were up and the expectation for a strong El Nino and wet winter were high. But the reality turned out to be very different. December rains at the
Painted Pony Resort totaled 0.39" while January rains totaled 0.88", then it stopped. The fall and winter were characterized by morning and evening displays of brilliantly colored cloud cover but these did not bring the promised rains. The 30 year average rainfall on the estate for December is 1.25" while for January the average is 0.83". February's 30 year average is 0.64" yet the estate saw only 0.08" which fell on the first day of the month and since then no rain. So we received a total of 1.35" for the period of December through February, while the 30 year average for the same period is 2.72", a 50% reduction. The results of this dry winter was reflected in both plants and animals on the estate. Plants in the front garden are just now beginning to put up new growth, even with irrigation and additional watering. Stems on one front garden plant were stripped by hungry wildlife and I observed several rabbits dining on Ephedra another woody shrub. The lack of winter cool season grasses and water may also explain why the mule deer which recently died on the estate came up to the buildings even when guests were in residence. Hunger and lack of water may have outweighed the animals desire to avoid humans. Although we are moving into a traditionally dry period hopefully some moisture will come out way before the monsoons.
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| Colorful October sunrise clouds over the Peloncillo mountains. |
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| Rabbit chewed stems in the front garden. |
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| Cottontail rabbits are dining on Ephedra, a woody shrub |
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| The lack of cool season winter grasses has left the rabbits foraging for woody shrubs |
As much as I dislike rain, it is very true- it is sorely needed for the many eco-structural elements about us. We might expect severe dust levels, fire and hydro-collapse. One hopeful thought- this is cyclical.
ReplyDeleteI use the Prism climate model, accessed through CoCoRaHS precipitation reporting site where PPR reports rainfall occurrences (NM-HD-17), to look at local rainfall. The 30 year average for PPR is 12.17" of precipitation, but since 1992 we have had mostly below average rainfall, 2002 saw only about 4.6" and 2012 saw 6.3". I struggled with Deer and Javelina in 2012, they continually raided and ate everything in the front garden. Fortunately, the past 2 years were above average in total rainfall and I was hoping the trend would continue this winter with a strong El Nino.
ReplyDeleteWe have at least 3 Cottontails here and they keep some grasses eaten down but there is lots more of that. Our winter was extra long and COLD. We had to get propane after 3 months and usually it lasts 6 or more months. Brrrrr
DeleteAnd Happy Resurrection Day!
DeleteYes it was a cold winter, not the really long freeze like a couple of years ago but I still ran into some freezing problems. I spent Easter afternoon walking fence on the east side along the old railroad line and fixing old posts that were starting to fall down. 100 yr old fence line needs constant attention to keep the cattle out. Good news though, one of the Crepe Myrtles in the front garden has finally started to leaf out.
ReplyDeleteCrepe Myrtle are beautiful! Our desert willow are starting to leaf out. I thought they were dead!
DeleteSame here Pat, I thought everything had died, but I kept watering and finally saw some green on the interior of some small stems and noticed that stems were no longer snapping off when bent suggesting there was liquid flowing inside. I look forward to seeing everything in bloom after last winters massive trimming.
ReplyDeleteI think a couple of Popacot trees ARE dead. We had some rain yesterday [SNOW pellets, very small on hike yesterday to Winn Falls, we will try to call it Sally Falls after the cook the USFS had in the CIMA cabin] and my rain gauge was still slanted from the huge winds two days ago. Guess I'll have to put "trace" a couple times for yesterday or measure what fell on the picnic table or in a bucket sitting there.
DeleteWe also had a trace of rain yesterday and I'm slowly seeing signs of life from other plants. The most recent guests, another bike tour, said they had headwinds for 2 days before arriving here.
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