About two months ago I posted on how a 4th of July storm broke a severe drought we had been experiencing throughout all of 2012 (Monsoon Season and the Drought). As always with desert rain patterns though, you never know if the rain is going to keep coming or if a single rainfall event was just a fluke. Fortunately, we have had a pretty good monsoon season that began with an earlier than normal large rainfall event and still seems to be going. As of now, most of the desert surrounding Phoenix has received about three inches of rain in the past two months, which is slightly above average. As a result of the rain and additional humidity, temperatures have actually been cooler than normal. We of course have had our 110 degree plus days, but nothing like what we have had the past several years.
The effects of rainfall on the desert over the past two months has been quite dramatic. The drought had been so severe that mesquites and acacias had gone leafless which is fairly rare. Ironwoods also were loosing many leaves and yellowing, which is extremely rare. Other plants such as wolfberry and palo verdes were also leafless. Creosotes were loosing leaves quickly and leaves that did remain were often brown or yellowish. Nearly all triangle leaf bursage looked as if it were completely dead and often brittle bush was just a bush of white crispy sticks. As you looked out across the desert in late June it appeared to be a crispy brown landscape without much life. The rain however changed all this very quickly. Within days of the first rain, new bright green leaves began to sprout. The sustained rain allowed for these leaves to keep growing and for new stems to begin growing also. Creosotes show this dramatic change quite well. Creosotes still retain some of the old more brownish leaves from the drought period. Directly above these brown leaves though bright green leaves are growing like crazy. Ironwoods, palo verdes, wolfberries, mesquites, and acacias are also all full of leaves. One thing I love about the desert after rain is all the different shades of green that color the landscape. Each one of these plants has a slightly different shade, from the dark thick green of the ironwood, to the yellowish light green of the palo verde. There also has been enough rain for the wolfberries and creosotes to flower. Many wolfberries are in-fact loaded with fruit right now as a result of the rain.
All of this has had very positive effects on the wildlife. I have noticed good populations of gambles quail as well as some healthy rabbit populations. I am also sure many of the song birds are benefiting by the increase in berries and bugs. The additional water and grass growth should also be having a positive effect on mule deer, hopefully increasing fawn survival.
So for now, the drought has been broken and with continued rainfall we can hopefully keep from returning back to drought conditions. As of now, the National Weather Service is predicting the return of El Nino this fall and winter, which often means more rainfall. A lot of weather scientists hold La Nina responsible for the drought in the Southwest over the last few years.
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