Not that long ago people were talking about the mini drought that had settled into our area, causing gardens, lawns and farm crops to show signs of stress. Well, the weather of earlier this week certainly rectified all that, with some areas of the county receiving four inches or more of total rain over the four-day period.

Although the old saying “rain, rain, go away, come again another day,” may come to mind when multiple days of it settle over Chenango County. And many of us may grumble when it impacts our outdoor plans, but the recent precip certainly was beneficial to many of the late-summer flora species that will really begin to flourish again. Bothersome to some people because of accelerated grass growth rates on lawns, the spike in vegetation growth and health is also highly beneficial to many wildlife species as we head toward autumn and then winter since it will be what sustains them until next spring’s ecosystem rebirth. This is even more critical should the autumn precip be below normal.