No-name pond northern shore Oct-2016

No-name pond northern shore Oct-2015

We are at the northern edge of the “severe” drought condition designation for the state. The drought has been quite dramatic for the surface waters in our area. To summarize, excluding ponds/lakes of more than a quarter-acre or so, THERE IS NO SURFACE WATER. All the streams in the area are dry.

Here, the top image is from last week. There is a visible shoreline. You can reference the crooked birch on the right in this image and compare to the image below, taken last year about the same time. I estimate at least a two foot level decrease. One of the curious results so far this year is how green and prolific the forest leaves and ground flora have been. The soil is quite dry at the surface but the plants have been getting enough water to flourish.