Texas Drought 2011 – No Rain in Sight

 

I've heard weather forecasters talk about Texas drought conditions several times in my life but never for this long. The whole ecosystem is being thrown off by the lack of water. We've had possums in our flower beds earlier in the evening and later into the morning consistently as the drought has continued. As much as I hate mosquitoes, the pesky insects play a part in the ecosystem. When they don't show up for a whole year, there has to be a negative impact on the ecosystem. I knew I had to document the landscape of the Texas Drought last Saturday on our weekly bike ride. While making our way through Sienna Point, I noticed that a Lake I used for a backdrop in January was now bone dry. The reality shook me as I did a double-take.

All this week, fires are popped up around the Houston area. When I left to take photographs of the dried waterways around my house yesterday, the smoke trails from a nearby brush fire were drifting by. The distinct smell of dried grass was eerie. There is no defense for the long string of triple digit temperatures and lack of rain. After watering the lawn a couple of times per week all Summer, the best I could do was to keep the flowerbeds up. Drive around the neighborhood and lawns that would have normally been flagged by the home owners association are being given a pass (I think).

The homes along the dried lake below used to be prime waterfront property. Needless to say, if they tried to sell now, they would definitely take a hit on their home value. Texas ranchers are also selling off their livestock because they can't afford to feed or provide water for the animals. I'm no economist or environmentalist but it seems like we will be feeling the effects of this for some time to come.