More than a foot of rain in three July weeks!
We set a rain record for this county this month. Thirteen inches — 33 centimeters — of rain in the first three weeks of July. It was supposed to be dry today, yet they had to call the game in Boston due to rain. All that rain has changed our foliage.
The wild grape vines have grown so huge they have overwhelmed large oak trees. Bitterroot is choking everything, though the birds like the berries and it makes a very pretty — and lovely scented — flower. But it’s an invader and no matter how many times we uproot it, it comes back.
I don’t even recognize some of the vines. The grape vines are familiar. They invaded the woods at my house in New York where I grew up, but they were never dominant up here.
Climate change has done some strange things. Many of our most hardy plants are rotting at the roots and there is fungus on our Holly tree. The wild roses bloomed, though I barely saw them because they bloomed in the rain and now they are all wilted. And some kind of disease has attacked many of our larger birds. I haven’t seen any sick birds, but I also haven’t seen any of the birds who are likely to be sick. From having dozens of Blue Jays, I haven’t seen a single one — or a Starling — in weeks. It is worrying and it’s probably because of all the rain.
Where did July go? Up in flames in the west and into floods everywhere else!
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Categories: Blackstone Valley, climate change, landscape, Nature, New England, Photography, Rain, Seasons, Trees
Serendipity Seeking Intelligent Life on Earth 
I’ve liked the squares, but not liking what is happening. Those vines so destructive, and so sad you are losing plants because of the wet soil. Really hope August is drier for you
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Well, we’ve had almost two days of no rain in a row — the most days without rain in two months. It rained almost every day in June, too.
Those vines are really awful and there’s nothing we can do about them. Those wild grape vines are particularly strong. The develop stems the size of small trees. We had them in our woods in New York and we were never able to get rid of them. Short of a controlled burn — and we are not remotely authorized to do that, especially in this area — there really isn’t any way to get rid of them. But I look out back and I literally can’t see anything but those damned vines.
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Yay for two days of no rain, here’s to a few more
Yikes though on those vines. That’s horrendous
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