After the Rains

The morning after the storm

After weeks of unbroken sunny days a series of weather blessings showered Halibut Point in the second half of August.

        

Downy Woodpecker

Early in the morning after the first downpour, birds in the treetops dried themselves off to get ready for business.

      

Baltimore Oriole

A long drought had passed. The air was thick and punchy with a sense of renewal.

Eroded trail

Water had run down toward the ocean faster than the parched ground could absorb it all.

Fruiting fungi

We could expect a response from dormant mushrooms in the rain-drenched woodlands and meadows.

A mosaic of Orange-grass, Hypericum gentianoides,

pioneering over the granite ledge

Wherever soil thinned on the moors, drought stress had been evident in localized foliage discolorations like an early, season-ending sign of fall.

Orange-grass blooming

Rain revitalized the desiccated mat of tiny plants.

Goldenrod, September

Fresh water composes the landscape of Halibut Point,

and all the lives cascading through its ecosystems.