Hillside walk, 01 December 2014
In the past 24 hours we had 7.5 mm rain (just over 1/4-inch). It was nice walking on damp, compacted soil in places where the ground cover is minimal, such as on the north hillside. While today was dry (but heavily overcast), much more rain is forecast for tomorrow. This will be an excellent boost to the growing season for hillside plants.
Even with this small amount of rain, the liverworts and ferns were green again although showing signs that they've not yet begun to grow, i.e. some evidence of dried-up dead leaves. After tomorrow's rain, predicted to be heavy, things will look much greener again.
Not related to the rain, a nice surprise (it's not really a surprise, it occurred last year, too) is that the chaparral currant (Ribes malvaceum) is in heavy bloom, even though no leaves are present. Based on last year's behavior, it will bloom again in the spring when there are leaves.
Everything else is a continuation of the previous week.
