It is deja vu all over again at Rockpile Ranch. We just received a nice 3 inch rain on Rockpile after a hot, dry Summer. The difference is, this time the rain was followed by very cool nights, 43 this morning, with a chance of a freeze tonight.
Unfortunately, this rain will not revive the warm season grasses due to the cold weather. That brown stumpy grass covered in termite mound will remain “dead”, waiting for next Spring to recover. The moisture did us a world of good though, it just does not look that way, yet. In about ten days, there will be a surge of cool season grasses sprouting and some winter forbs will pop up.
On the morning walk with Ruby, I noticed a lot of tracks, deer, hogs, coyotes, and some fox. The animals are in stress and moving far and wide in search of their next meal, vegetable or meat. Deer feeders are all torn up by the hogs and remain a focal point of all these tracks. The green up next week should help disperse the animals and reduce movement.
There is a slight chance of rain predicted for the middle of next week here on the Rockpile. I certainly hope it materializes to further boost recovery of soil moisture and stimulate that great eco system we call Nature. If wildlife drinking water is still in short supply, think about adding a wildlife guzzler or collector. Easy to do and a fun project with the kids.
Your roof should be two sided facing down into the middle (v shave) with a large cow trough under it catching the rain
Interesting thought about the “V” shape and a cattle trough. Actually, the more storage you have, the better. I added a black plastic tank to this demo shortly after the picture was taken, thanks!