A couple of upsides of this horrible drought

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The mosquito and Japanese beetle populations are practically nonexistent this year due to the seriousness of the drought and record breaking temperatures. There is too little moisture in the soil or plants to provide suitable environments for them.

The other news is that the Gulf of Mexico is healthier because of our drought. Normally, excess amounts of nutrients flow into the Gulf from up north and there is no flow so the Gulf is getting a reprieve. The entire story is at Discovery News.

Here's what the map looks like as of a couple of days ago. It represents, pretty much what our entire area is going to look like if we don't get rain. The wildfire smoke dominates time outdoors.

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