After the first rains · Dec 7, 10:25 AM

Germinating seeds form cracksThe soil is still warm after our long summer. If there’s enough rain after our first winter showers, the warm moist soil provides optimum conditions for germinating seeds.

This series of photos shows how the seeds thrust up through the soil that has been compacted over the dry summer A closer look at germinationand then moistened by the rain. Can you see the cracks in the soil in the top picture? (Of course not, so click on the thumbnail for a better look.)

The second and third photos show more seeds unfurling toward the sunlight and pushing up the soil. There’s no stopping those little seedlings! A closeup of the seeds pushing their way up through the soil.These are probably a species of Erodium, commonly called Filarie by ranchers. The plants will get a good start so that they are well rooted by the time the colder weather sets in.

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