It was a dry spring. The whole state was under a drought watch until all that rain came the past couple weeks.

I'm loving the wet weather, everything has taken off his year compared to last summer's drought, except for a few phlox.... the dry spring brought on some spider mites that just won't leave - even with the cool and wet weather.

I cut the back lawn today, it's amazing how thick and lush it got since last week.... it's been thin all season until last week's 10" of rain!

You're right about the friggin' spider mites! What was bizarre this spring that probably helped the spider mite population explode, was that the humidity was also unusually low (20s, teens, and even in the single digits a few times, which was record territory) through to almost June. I guess now we're back to our usual humidity! LOL

"friggin' spider mites" LOL, that's what I call them!!

Well - I really call them something else that begins with "f", but I would be sent to Disney if I posted it here! LOL

Does anyone know how we're doing with rainfall totals? Are we still running a rainfall deficit, or is it a surplus now?

The totals I've been seeing in newspapers seem way too low. I think we got at least 9" of rain a couple of weeks ago, but published reports said we got only a few inches. I need to buy a new rain gauge!

I know what you mean Carol, I had several 5 gallon buckets around the yard before the rain came. They were closer to the 10 inch mark by the time the storms ended. The buckets were standing out wherever I happened to last use them (oops)

I have 2 gauges in different sites. I check and empty them every evening, as we have been having some of these rains which are over 7 inches in one day and they have overflowed a couple of times earlier this spring. I also think the official gauge at the Philly airport must be in a desert microclime as it is always lower than my gauges by a major amount.

George

The local NWS had a precipitation report as one of their Public Information Statements that listed the reported rainfall in the PHL coverage area between June 23 - June 28 when much of the rain fell recently. I'm including the text below. There was also a link to the text with a graphic of the rainfall in the region that I included in the link section. The rains that have occured tended to sit over certain spots and train, and missed other spots altogether:

000
NOUS41 KPHI 282106
PNSPHI
PAZ054-055-060>062-067>071-NJZ001-007>010-012>026-
DEZ001>004-MDZ012-015-019-020-
MDZ007>008-290000-

COUNTY RAINFALL REPORTS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MT HOLLY NJ
500 PM EDT WED JUN 28 2006

PRELIMINARY STORM TOTAL RAINFALL
BEGINNING 7AM FRIDAY AND ENDING 7AM WEDNESDAY

CITY OBSERVER AUTOMATIC

PENNSYLVANIA

MONROE COUNTY
BLAKESLEE 12.86
CAMEL BACK 12.22
KRESGEVILLE 8.65
MT POCONO 11.40
MT POCONO AP 10.23
STODDARTSVILLE 11.15
TANNERSVILLE 7.62
EAST STROUDSBURG 8.28
SAYLORSBURG 10.48
POCONO SUMMIT 12.35
TOBYHANNA 11.50

CARBON COUNTY
BELTZVILLE LAKE 9.66
F E WALTER DAM 9.31
HAUTO 13.09
LEHIGHTON 11.63

LEHIGH COUNTY
LEHIGH VALLEY AP 5.98

NORTHAMPTON COUNTY
WALNUTPORT 9.03
FORKS TOWNSHIP 6.42

BERKS COUNTY
BERNE 11.01
BETHEL 11.47
BLUE MARSH LAKE 6.27
MORGANTOWN 4.72
READING RVR 5.87
READING AP 5.22

BUCKS COUNTY
DOYLESTOWN 5.34 6.29
FRICKS 7.46
NESHAMINY FALLS 4.18 4.40
PERKASIE 8.42
SELLERSVILLE 10.09
SOUTHAMPTON 4.50
SPRINGTOWN 6.07

MONTGOMERY COUNTY
GRATERFORD 7.80
NORRISTOWN 6.15
PALM 5.38 6.90
POTTSTOWN AP 8.49
POTTSTOWN 6.63

CHESTER COUNTY
DOWNINGTOWN 3.25
EXTON 12.80
GLENMOORE 8.80 8.16
HONEY BROOK 5.64 6.23
MODENA 5.40
NORTHBROOK 6.04
STRICKERVILLE 12.00
VALLEY FORGE 5.44
LONDON GROVE 5.67
LONGWOOD GARDENS 7.25

DELAWARE COUNTY
CHADDS FORD 4.80

PHILADELPHIA COUNTY
NORTH PHILADELPHIA AP 2.81
PHILADELPHIA AIRPORT 3.68

NEW JERSEY

SUSSEX COUNTY
ANDOVER AP 4.41
SUSSEX AP 6.05
CANISTEAR RESERVOIR 5.88

WARREN COUNTY
BELVIDERE 3.10
COLUMBIA 6.50
PHILLIPSBURG/EASTON 5.66

MORRIS COUNTY
BASKING RIDGE IFLOWS 4.10
BERKSHIRE VALLEY 4.94
BOONTON 5.21 4.58
IRONIA 4.24
JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP 4.10
LAKE HOPATCONG 5.68
LINCOLN PARK IFLOWS 5.93
MORRISTOWN IFLOWS 3.60
OAK RIDGE RESERVOIR 4.96
PEQUANNOCK IFLOWS 6.17

HUNTERDON COUNTY
CLINTON 3.83
SPRUCE RUN 3.73
FLEMINGTON 7.32
LEBANON TOWNSHIP 7.59
READINGTON IFLOWS 4.56
STOCKTON 6.08

SOMERSET COUNTY
BLACKWELLS MILLS 4.19
BOUND BROOK 4.20
MARTINSVILLE IFLOWS 3.56
NORTH PLAINFIELD 2.36
POTTERSVILLE 5.87
SOMERVILLE AP 5.00

MIDDLESEX COUNTY
DEANS 2.22

MERCER COUNTY
HIGHTSTOWN 2.69
TRENTON 3.90
TRENTON AP 3.87
WINDSOR 4.90

BURLINGTON COUNTY
CHATSWORTH 2.50
MCGUIRE AFB 3.10
MEDFORD 4.84
MOUNT HOLLY NWS 2.97
MOUNT HOLLY LARC 2.60
NEW LISBON 2.73
WRIGHTSTOWN 3.76

CAMDEN COUNTY
BLUE ANCHOR 3.79

GLOUCESTER COUNTY
WEST DEPTFORD 3.24

OCEAN COUNTY
POINT PLEASANT 2.10
BARNEGAT LIGHT 2.09
BRANT BEACH 1.59

ATLANTIC COUNTY
ATLANTIC CITY AP 3.46
ATLANTIC CITY USCG 1.39
ESTELLE MANOR 5.01
FOLSOM 2.09
FORSYTHE NWR 2.82
HAMMONTON 3.90 3.68
MARGATE 1.51

CUMBERLAND COUNTY
MILLVILLE AP 4.62

CAPE MAY COUNTY
CAPE MAY COUNTY AP 2.67
CAPE MAY USCG 2.21

DELAWARE

NEW CASTLE COUNTY
NEWARK 6.60
WILMINGTON PORTER RES. 5.72
WILMINGTON AIRPORT 6.44
BLACKBIRD 7.81

KENT COUNTY
DOVER AFB 4.44
SANDTOWN 4.45

SUSSEX COUNTY
BRIDGEVILLE 10.27
REDDEN 8.25
GREENWOOD 5.85
GEORGETOWN AIRPORT 9.04

MARYLAND

CAROLINE COUNTY
FEDERALSBURG 15.2

MEOLA/BENTLEY

Here is a link that might be useful: Observed Rainfall 6/23/06 - 6/28/06

Ah ha! I'm in that 10-12 inch area.... that sounds reasonable.

-and it's raining again! This has been a great summer for late season planting and transplanting!

Wow, the Poconos got clobbered!

I'm near Perkasie and Doylestown, which puts me in the 7" area. Sounds about right.

Funny, though... We had 10+ inches here during that storm (and lots of flooding)but just before yesterday's rain things were really beginning to dry up again around here. On Monday I transplanted some swap plants I got a few weeks ago - yes, it took me that long to get them in - and the ground was bone-dry a good 4-6" down.

Uh, Mother Nature, could you maybe dole out a little less moisture a little more frequently? Say perhaps a half-inch between 3 and 6 a.m. every few days? LOL!

Speaking about these spider mites. Do you get bites like spiders and other bugs. I was awaken by a bite in the night on June 30th and by the next morning had reaction almost 6 inches in diameter. It was sort of a Forest Gump moment when I called the doctor's office for an appt., when the nurse said where were you bitten sir? On my left buttock ma'am. You could just hear them laughing in the background.

I spent three days in bed sweating and chilling and now I am taking a month of doxycycoline.

My question is do you think I got it from a spider mite?

I think all told we have had over 20 inches in the downingtown area.

Chuck - It could have been a bite from a spider rather than a spider mite. Spider mites are pretty tiny, almost microscopic. Some of the common spiders do bite and although those may not be posionous, some people are sensitive to their bite and might end up with a strong histamine reaction along with swelling and pain. I've included a link to PSU's webpage on some spiders that have been found in PA and the descriptions include medical info on their bites.

Here is a link that might be useful: Common PA spiders