More winter rain than I have ever seen

[Nugget Shooter]

Hello Riverbee (pics per your request) and All, I have been in Arizona most of my life and have never seen it rain every week since November and allot of it. Areas normally rocs and dirt now look like a lawn  There will be a bloom in a couple weeks that will continue through June and be like nothing most here have ever seen. Looks like this now...



Should look like this (normal)




All of the green is small flowering annuals like onion, Mexican Poppy, Blue Lupine, Fiddle neck, and many others and normally just scattered patches of them, and grasses, but this year it will be a carpet of color and the others like Mallo, Brittle bush, etc. are bigger than ever. There are some plants we have never seen fixing to bloom that only show up every odd wet year like this and we are having fun trying to ID them. The bees will be very busy and already are on the days without rain....

[Perry]

Maybe not "global warming", but hard to argue with climate change. Starting to see it everywhere. The biggest changes are already affecting our northern most Canadians.

[Bakersdozen]

Watch out Nugget!  Do you own a lawn mower?  If this keeps up, you may have to mow your lawn.   

Isn't it fascinating how some species of plant seeds can wait for years before sprouting?  Nature's way of preserving the species.

You know we are going to want to see more pictures when all that blooms, don't 'cha?

[Jen]

Hey Nug, you better be ready with some extra bee boxes and plenty of frames for honey! Looks like a honey bee hoedown any minute now 

[Nugget Shooter]

Yes Bakersdozen more photos to come when things get popping and Jen, you are correct about boxes and I have them ready to go... The bees are already coming in and out in masses and the entrances are backed up with returning bees waiting to go in.

Perry, we used to have fairly wet winters here though not like this, but we have been in a 15 year drought and hopefully things are starting to go the other way now, I guess time will tell.

[Jen]

I remember learning about entrances during a flow here on the forum. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm thinking you can take the reducers off this time of year.

[Nugget Shooter]

I will soon yes, have them at 4 to 5 inches currently as highs here are in the 60s and down to low 40s at night sometimes with this strange cool wet winter we are having. 2 of the 6 are from a fall cutout (remember birdhouse?) and a swarm so they are still at around 2.5 inches to aid in defense....