A Drought in Chianti

Where is the rain?

the parched earth; grass non-existent; dead leaves from tired trees

even the St John's Wort looks exhausted

It has been many weeks since our part of Chianti has seen rain. It is still summer of course and summer means heat, dry grass and watering each evening.

 

the rosemary has a desperate, 'staring' look

 But over the past 10 years there  has never been a summer without occasional rain in July and drenching storms in the latter part of August.

what grass is left crunches underfoot like autumn leaves

This year the grass is parched and brittle. Even the established fruit trees show the stress, are experiencing a precocious autumn, and need watering.

the fruit trees droop, their leaves fall prematurely

even the hardy fig sheds leaves

We all await the rain.

Update, September 16:  It did rain briefly two days after this post was published, but now the whole of Chianti is hoping for an autumn break.