Saving The Trees

Two of us, who are part of many who love trees, went to the Cassilis Recreation Reserve today.

A camper vehicle was there and people sitting at the picnic tables having their breakfast obviously, so we didn't go and disturb them. Instead we went straight to the water tank that is filled from the run-off from the toilet roof and started filling our buckets and watering can to water the trees. The trees that are smaller and stressed rather more because they have not been in the ground as long as the other, larger trees. We were too late for some, that had more than likely already perished. Though we hope the roots might still have some life, holding fast till/if the rain comes.

This watering was not to try to have the trees return to full leaf or show any signs of vigour, it was a water merely to help them hold on a little longer. To give them a small amount of moisture to be going on with, till some precipitation arrived. Because many of these had few leaves, so even if a shower, rain being a tease, presented itself, they would not be able to take advantage of moisture, because their leaves were on the ground. Being blown, today anyway, all over the country by the wind.

The large trees would most likely be all right. They had been in the ground sufficiently long to have roots that went to depths this particular dry period would not deplete. Further to that, they are on the cusp of being dormant for the winter. A dormancy a little earlier than most years they had been resident in the ground in the ambience of the area. Manifest by the inability to fully bring out the colours of the leaves with which they would normally be clothed in autumn. However, survival must come first, and to endure will at times require some sacrifice.

There was wind today, unfavourable to our efforts, drying out any water bestowed, that wasn't immediately absorbed below the surface and as the day wore on the wind became more fierce, drying everything out even more, if that was possible. Dust storms top dressed our paddocks, our roofs, solar panels and any other thing that has a flat, or stippled surface to cover. Quite often we get 10 mm of rain and 50 mm of wind to evaporate, in a very short time, the small quantity that blessed us, but that is also part of being here. This wind had little in the way of moisture to blow away.

The apples on the trees are almost ripe. Good enough to eat even now and we treated ourselves to a reward.

Some farmers were foolish enough to plough their paddocks in such dry conditions, as have been experienced over the last three months. Ploughing would cause considerable erosion to these disturbed paddocks if the rain was heavy, and of course today, blew away any ligneous, fibrous, water holding element in the soil into the air and delivered it to places where others would certainly appreciate it. Though possibly not so much on their roof.

Now we wait for rain to be delivered by an indifferent nature.