Thursday, August 9, 2012

Low Water in the Creek - Summer update

Another month or so has passed - the water is low in the creek. 

For this season - Summer - that's expected.

But, just a little but, it has been raining every 2 to 3 days since the end of June. And some days it was not just a normal rain but a whole downpour. When that excess water has moved off, the water level went back to low. Very low actually. And it isn't even hot. Seems we are somehow still in a kind of drought.

And although it's just the beginning of August the air smells of Autumn. Some trees, like cherries, birches and  beeches are already throwing off leaves. I have even seen one walnut tree turn yellow way too early.
The boodplum though in my garden has just cast off the fruits we couldn't harvest, but hardly any leaves. The years before it that regularly did in the Summer heat - due to being too dry. Maybe watering it a few times during the rare very hot days has helped.

Not so unusual anymore is the wild plant growing like a pest at the banks of the creek: a Himalayan Balsam
It does have nice deep purple, pink and rose colored flowers. But it suffocates and takes the nutrition for the rest of the vegetation.

And it spreads it's seed by "spitting" them far away when being touched only very slightly. So, if you want to get rid of this plant you will have to "harvest" it before the seeds are ripe. 
I admit, I thought it as a fun game to touch and see how far those seeds would jump. Until I found out about the invasive way of life of this plant here. 

Or should we "harvest" it as food??!!  The green seed pods, seeds, young leaves and shoots are all edible, says the wiki article.

Following a few impressions of the creek today:
Slow flowing water, clear and very low. Normal height is about 8cm higher in Summer than on this photo.
Usually the damp step is fully covered with water about half it's height. 
With normal water level you can't see the step of the inflow on the right side, and the sand bank is covered with water.
 and this Himalayan Balsam "Weed":






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