Water in the Midst of a Drought

In my corner of the world, the sun beats down on the earth everyday. It’s been about three months since we’ve seen rain, and the grass in my lawn resembles hay that’s ready to be tied up into bales. Just a short walk down the street and into the forest yields a strikingly different scene. The hillsides are full of lush, green plants. Depending on the day, fog drips may be enough to make you think there’s a light shower passing through.

This is in no way meant to downplay the seriousness of the current situation in the West. The drought.gov website for California lists our county as being in extreme drought. In our house we are mindfully shortening our showers, using drought-tolerant plants in our landscaping, and saving our rinse water from the dishes to water the garden.

I do want to highlight the unique features of the Redwood forest and how water seems to magically appear and keep the plants vibrant while sustaining the wildlife.

Banana slugs, for instance, need to maintain moisture or slime on their bodies. On a hot, dry day they’d be at risk of desiccation or drying out; to avoid this they go into a state of aestivation, which is a form of hibernation. However, one cool, foggy morning last week, I spotted two of them climbing a Redwood tree. This was the first time I had seen a banana slug in several weeks.

Water is what makes the difference between plump and shriveled plants and produce. And while we can’t survive for more than a matter of mere minutes without a breath of fresh air, I wouldn’t want to go more than a few hours without a sip of fresh water. I’m very grateful for this precious resource, one of the five elements of nature.

Water droplets from the fog collect on a spider web