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We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below.
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Cornville, Arizona
This is a follow up on my diary about the flooding along Oak Creek that I wrote back in February. I went for a walk along the same area as half of the photos.
It’s always neat to walk along the river after a flood to see the dynamics of water at work. Some places get scoured down to the river rock, some withstand the current and keep the root structure of the grasses and brush, and some places seem to be the depository of all the debris.
This log jamb is one of the largest I’ve ever seen. It wasn’t there in January.
I’d guess it was at least 14 feet tall and 40 feet deep. That’s gonna make some good mulch in a couple years.
The rest of the area is devoid of debris. It all ended up in piles like this, making for some easy hiking for the rest of the year.
The Chinese Blackberries are the first to come up. Those of you in the northwest know they will seemingly swallow this whole pile by the end of summer. The Cottonwood is going to have to figure out which way is up from now on. It’s starting to come out.
Even the Arundo took a beating, but you can see that it is not going to let up. Damned invasive stuff is going to take over the whole watershed. Luckily we have multiple agencies that are working to remove it. Kick it while it’s down!
Here’s a new sandbar that formed behind a stand of trees. I though it looked neat with the tear drop shape, protected from the current and on both sides the dirt was washed away down to river rock.
I though this tree looked cool. Even though it’s choked with debris, it’s gonna leaf out and keep on truckin. A good lesson on perseverance.
This was a huge deposit of silt that started to be eaten away from the next flood. That will be covered in vegetation by summer.
The earth moves in more ways than one. Minerals and nutrients are spread down stream, to the benefit of all the plants that the flood didn’t take out. Seeds are spread and watered for a new cycle to begin. Life adapts to new conditions and surroundings. The way it was and the way it will be. Kinda comforting in these crazy times.
Bonus points for guessing which song the diary title came from.
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