The Changing Seasons, April 2019
The Rainiest April in 140 Years
Photography: Garry and Marilyn Armstrong
It wasn’t just my imagination. Of the 29 days of this past, April 2019, twenty of them were rainy. And for the final day, tomorrow, it will also rain which will bring the total to 21 days of rain for the month of April.
Not surprisingly, we didn’t get out to take a lot of pictures this month. If it weren’t were the bird feeders on our deck, there might not be any pictures at all.
Most of the time, it has been chilly and wet. We got some daffodils and a few crocuses. We even got a few sad-looking Forsythias. Meanwhile, although we got a whole set of brand new young Rhododendrons while the mature bushes all died. I don’t know if the rain drowned them or maybe they were just ready to move on and that’s why they sent up the new shoots.
My son is going to cut them all down — the dead ones and the young ones and all of the rose bushes. They will grow back, or at least the living ones will. I guarantee that by August, the young Rhododendrons and the barbed-wire roses will be taller than me.
Owen says they cut down their bushes every year and by mid-summer, they stand more than seven feet high. Meantime, there are a lot of shoots for upcoming daylilies. Bless you, daylilies. When everything else fails, I can count on you!
Double trouble
Brown-headed Cowbirds
The rain killed most everything else. We got two tulips and a bunch of bright yellow daffodils. I’m hoping we will see some Columbine and Spiderwort, too.
When I look into the woods, I can see that there is green there. The maples are beginning to show fat buds. The young pine trees have new growth, too.
Despite having several large trees fall on it, the lilac has a full growth of new leaves. I am surprised. I was sure it was going to give up at long last, but somehow, it keeps coming back. It doesn’t bloom much anymore. There isn’t enough sunshine back at the edge of the woods. And this is not a bush anymore. It hasn’t been a bush in more than 18 years. It is old growth and almost as tall as a maple tree.
It’s baseball season again!
Whether or not it will flower? Your guess is as good as mine. It’s too early for blooming. It won’t flower until the middle of May if it flowers at all. Sunshine would help.
About The Changing Seasons
The Changing Seasons is a monthly challenge where bloggers around the world share what’s been happening in their month.
If you would like to join in, here are the guidelines:
The Changing Seasons Version One (photographic):
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- Each month, post 5-20 photos in a gallery that you feel represent your month
- Don’t use photos from your archive. Only new shots.
- Tag your posts with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so that others can find them
- Each month, post 5-20 photos in a gallery that you feel represent your month
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The Changing Seasons Version Two (you choose the format):
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- Each month, post a photo, recipe, painting, drawing, video, whatever that you feel says something about your month
- Don’t use archive stuff. Only new material!
- Tag your posts with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so others can find them.
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If you do a ping-back to Su-Leslie’s post, she will update it with links to of yours.
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Categories: #Flowers, #gallery, #Photography, Blackstone Valley, climate change, Nature
THE CHANGING SEASONS: MAY 2019 – Marilyn Armstrong 
SERENDIPITY - SEEKING INTELLIGENT LIFE ON EARTH 
You have, as always, taken some lovely photos — despite the rain. Our Springs tend to be pretty wet, but I can’t remember a time of so many days of rain. Hope May is kinder to everyone.
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This has been the rainiest month — ANY month — since 1872. 21 days of rain out of 30. And most of the non-rainy days weren’t sunny — just gray. It begins to get to you after a while. And it’s killing the garden. Withered rhododendrons. I didn’t think you could kill a rhododendron. They survive everything … except for the monsoon!
We took ALL those pictures in one afternoon. I figured if we didn’t get out right then, it would be raining again. I was right. The next two days, it rained.
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I thought rhododendrons were pretty indestructible too!! Must be really bad.
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It is. And that garden is topsoil on top of hard, rooty, rocky ground. Owen built the wall and we dumped a few tons of topsoil into it. It always drained pretty well, but this year, 21 out of 30 days of rain? No drainage. We’re cutting the roses and rhodos all the way down. They live ones will grow back and I don’t think ANYTHING will keep those barbed wire roses from regrowing. Our plants are not designed for continuous rain. I’m grateful the Blackstone hasn’t overflowed. It has gotten very close.
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Utah got more than it’s fair share of rain this year. It happened this way in 2017 too and I admit I prefer it to the more common dry spell weather. Today is overcast and cloudy, although it started out sunny and blue skies. I have a dog at the vet getting his teeth seen too, and one in my lap who is upset his friend is gone and he couldn’t go too (although he wouldn’t have liked that one bit I bet). I will always ALWAYS admire your photographic skill Marilyn. Such beautiful pictures!
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It’s also COLD. I’m wearing my long cotton nightgown with my flannel nightgown over it and a flannel bathrobe over that. With woolen socks AND a blanket and a heating pad. But I think I’m almost warmed up. Almost.
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I think Spring has officially changed to be the “rainy” season here too.
Leslie
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It was sunny yesterday until mid-afternoon when the clouds rolled in. Rained ALL night and it’s beginning to drizzle again. Rain predicted for at least the next three or four days. Truly, the monsoon season has come.
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monsoon indeed!
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One thing’s for sure, persistence! Sometimes that’s a good thing. Greenery and wildlife have a way of carrying on, sometimes despite us, lol The other thing is, it creates an ever-changing scene to enjoy 🙂 I rather like that. It is expected and unexpected!
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I think we will see different plants. But our native plants — and almost all my plants are either wild or very close to wild — are meant for dry summers. If it just keeps raining, I’m pretty sure they will die. Mud has no oxygen in it which is why over-watering plants kills them.
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I would love a garden trees or a green house. Just looking out the window and seeing life abounding is relaxing calming peaceful.
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Bird feeders. It’s as close as I can get and it helps.
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I think that’s awesome. One day, I hope to have some.
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I thought about joining the challenge, but I swear I’d post exactly the same info as you have shared; the dead rhodies, the poorly blooming forsythia and the tall lilacs….I’m even wearing my Red Sox sweatshirt!
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Me too. Sweat pants, Red Sox hoodie, long-sleeved shirt, and wool socks. Happy spring!
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You must have had all our April showers over there. We’ve only had a couple of rainy days this month. Wishing you more floriferous times, and less cold sogginess. And yes, I’m sure the shrubs will come roaring back after a good cut-back.
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It is pouring again, so I suppose we might as well end the month the same way it began. Wet. It’s not just the rain. It’s also the mud. Plants will grow with too little rain, but if the ground is muddy enough, they die. Where we used to have little trickly streams, we have full-sized rivers now. We are lucky that the Blackstone has stayed just below overflowing.
And there’s nothing anyone can do. They are now explaining “climate change” with the weather every night. They didn’t used to say anything, but now, everyone talks about it — the wind changes, the alterations in ocean flows — and how these are changing weather patterns. Not that I didn’t expect it, but it isn’t heart-warming to hear it either.
I’d happy send you some of our rain. I’m sure a LOT of places in the U.S. have a lot of spare water right now. Hopefully, the rains don’t wash away the entire garden, but it’s beginning to look like it might.
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Sounds a sorry state all round. Very spirit lowering.
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It gets depressing. Just because the sky is always gray and the ground is all mud. You can’t plant anything and you don’t even want to. By May, the weather is usually drying up and summer in New England is usually quite dry. Now, it’s like the monsoons have come. I hear that Canada is getting the same messy weather, so it’s most of North America. Good thing there’s no climate change, eh?
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Marilyn — you’ve selected my bed time movie for tonight – “Ths Rains of Ranchipur” (55/Fox) Lana Turner, Richard Burton, Michael Rennie, Joan Caulfied, Fred MacMurray. Dir: Jean “Dusty” Negulesco. It’s the remake of “The Rains Came’ (’39/Fox) Myrna Loy, Tyrone Power. George Brent, Maria Oushpenkaya.
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