Playa Covered in Plains Coreopsis

We have received abundant rain this spring and so our playa, while not full of water, is now covered in this beautiful Plains Coreopsis.  Notice the beautiful green grass!

  

Playa Lake

Our property at CASA LA ENTEREZA includes a 20 acre playa. Playas are ecological keystones of our region’s water cycle and it is estimated there are 30,000 playa basins on the Texas Panhandle. We may not have rivers, but the Southern High Plains has more playas than anywhere in the world! Playas are often dry, which is normal and natural, but when filled with water after heavy rains, playas become supercharged oases of life! Though ignored and neglected, playas are among the most important and most endangered wetlands in North America. Playas also provide the main recharge to the Ogallala Aquifer, and are vital to local ecosystems and economies.  

This picture shows our home reflected in our playa.  The picture was taken in 2007.
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In our eight years of living here we have had the playa fill with surface water four times. The following photos show the 2010 playa after the rains.

This summer we have had almost twenty inches of rain in the past two months. It has refilled our playa and today we can hear the toads chirping and the waters are abundant with life. Pictures follow of a Playa Lake Field Day sponsored by Ogallala Commons. The first and only outdoor Playa Lake Classroom is featured in the following photos also. The next five photos were taken by Dr. Nancy E. McIntyre, PhD, Texas Tech University.

This is a Great Plains Toad:

This is a Tiger Salamander:

It is amazing to find “fairy shrimp” (beaver tail and redtail) and tadpole shrimp in a playa lake on the LLano Estacado:

For more information about Playas visit the following sites:
Ogallala Commons
Playa Classrooms
Playa lakes Joint Ventures

Wordless Wednesdays: Two Inches of Rain in Half an Hour

I know this is supposed to be Wordless Wednesday but I just had to tell you about this picture.

This morning about 11:30, the sky opened up and we got two inches of rain in half an hour! Our rose bed was deep in rain. The playa is full and everything is so green! What a strange site for Nazareth!

Rainy Days & Nights in Texas Panhandle

We have been suffering from the worst drought of the past 100 years. Our land has been so dry and weary. But suddenly, our weather fortunes have changed–for the past five days, we have experienced thunderstorms, lightning and RAIN! Thus far, Casa La Entereza has received over five inches of rain..what a gift to our land and our spirits! The following photos show rain water rushing into a culvert, surrounding our labryinth, filling our rain water tanks and collecting in a ditch on its way to our playa ( which is almost half-filled with water).