As triple digit temperatures continue day after day we see more and more signs of the effects the drought is having on Central Texas. I worry that somehow a fire will start in our area and burn off the whole place. The grass is all burnt from the intense heat and not much green remains at all. All over Williamson and Lampasas Counties I see oak trees dying. I don't know if it is oak blight, oak wilt or just plain death from no moisture but the number of dead trees is unreal and will change the look of the country around here for decades. It looks as though we will be planting a lot of replacement trees on our place but most will be for the next generation as they take so long to grow. My brother and I have been running feeders, putting out water and even keeping hummingbird feeders out at the ranch just to try and help some of the wildlife. We have even been putting out dry dog food for the predators and other animals that need some protein. We have seen the following animals or tracks of turkeys, fox, squirrels, rabbits, deer, raccoons, various birds and even road runners coming to get their share of the kibble. We have been seeing hawks carrying snakes to eat as smaller prey is in short supply.
My brother and I contracted to drill two water wells this week and though they will not produce a lot, it is still water which seems to be more and more precious each day. I feel that the people of Central Texas and for that matter all of Texas need to take another look at how we use water. It scares me to see how much drinking water we all put on our lawns. We are not using surplus water or treated sewer for most lawns, we are putting precious clean drinking water on our lawns, gardens and golf courses by the millions of gallons. I think we need to really examine the use of water for these purposes and make some changes or I see a future with real problems just to furnish water for existence. Remember to feed and water the wildlife if you have the means and or funds. This will be a hard year for them to survive. Next article I will show you how to make an inexpensive butterfly/bee feeder and waterer to try and keep our pollinators going as they are not finding many blooms or flowers to feed on.
I thought you might like to see a few pictures and game camera images from this last week at our place.
Remember to click on comments below to leave a comment or read the comments of others. You may always scroll down to the bottom of the page to mute or cut off the music in my play list if you desire. Wild Ed
1 comment:
I live in Austin and boy.... TS Don would have been so welcome. My hope is while we may not see direct rain, Don will dump enough in the Edwards Aquifer area and at least replenish some of the water supply. And to those in the south that get some direct rain. good.
Anyways, as you know we've been hurting since that big rainy time in 2007. I'm tired of the water waste on things like lawns because I learned long ago that Mother Nature is going to win here. Unfortunately, the realities of suburban life dictate some sort of lawn.... so we're going to try the xeriscape route. Never thought I'd do such a thing because it's not the most aesthetically pleasing thing in my eye, but we've got a really good landscaper (http://fertilegroundgardens.com/) and the plans look good. This should keep the HOA happy, the house and neighborhood looking good, and once the landscaping is established shouldn't require much water at all.
This is the reality of where life in Texas is going... we all need to adapt.
- Hsoi
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