Sprouts!

What with all the rain we've been having in the last several days, I have been taking some closer looks at the natives bed for sprouts. Score! There are herds of itty-bitty-teeny-tiny sprouts. They are SO tiny that both cotyledons (the baby, non-true leaves) together would not cover the head of a pin. I take it as a good sign.  I also noticed that the lupine seeds are now uncovered of soil, but are swelling nicely.  (Hopefully they'll put a root into the soil before the rain dries up.
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I note that, when it's raining (or recently stopped) puddles form in the natives bed, but a half-hour after the rain stops, the puddles disappear. I have a downspout at the corner of the house at the center of the top of the bed, so it also gets that extra-added water.

On the other side of the driveway, a previous owner paved over a large area, but nicely put four rectangular holes in the concrete for planting. Three of the four ceanothus plants died the first year I was here and I replaced them with Uva-Ursi plants. Right now the holes are filled with standing water. Earlier they were overflowing with massive quantities of water. They, too, have a downspout uphill from them.

I'm SO happy for all the rain!  I'm not entirely sure about the birds, tho'. I was watching a towhee and a sparrow shopping for groceries on my back lawn earlier. Hop. Peck. Shake! Peck. Hop. Shake! Hop. Peck. Shake! They didn't seem like they were having a lot of fun, not like hopping through the sprinklers in the summer.  :-)