Yesterday we had more afternoon thunderstorms moving through the valley from the Southwest. The storms were making it over the Sierra ridge then floating Northeast, each one bumping against and rolling over the ridge above Hidden Valley Park.

We waited in the park under a metal canopy while the storm passed. After the rain let up, we started hiking toward the tail of the storm. Everything above us was with sun and broken clouds.

We hiked up quite a ways, far enough to be able to explore both stream beds after the confluence. From our report: The pinyon and juniper forest looks well watered. The grasses are green, wild plants are green and developing flower heads. The pussytoes are plump, vibrant and perky. We came across water seeps with grasses and what looked like a type of wild sweet pea. We also saw many flowering James Buckwheat and some spectacular Prince's Plume.

It was hard not to notice how much the plants were enjoying the recent rain.

Leaving Plants Alone

Many plants in Nevada are controlled. That is, there are laws governing ways in which certain plants in Nevada are treated. The spirit of this being that the desert is fragile. Scientists are in the field watching, gathering statistics for assessing the current situation. The scientists provide studied and informed recommendations that promote a rational approach to the wild/urban interplay. For those who want to protect fragile communities, the prospect of respecting protections are just that -- respect written into law. It's about supporting the intention to prolong and thereby protect the desert. The desert of whom the spirit speaks.