hill country greenery (Austin, Hamilton, West: live, trees, park)

[bman15470]

OK, lets have lots of input on this. I visited the hill country this last August and of course it was pretty dry looking and yes I understand the area has been under severe drought the last couple of years but I am wanting to know is if what I saw driving down Hwy 281 from Hamilton is typical for summer in the hill country region? The climate data shows pretty consistent rainfall amounts for the four seasons with winter months lagging behind by a couple of inches or so. So if the area typically gets 7-8 inches of rain in summer does it keep the roadside grass and other flora green or at least substantially greener than what I saw? I am really trying to get a feel for what that country is like in the hotter months? On our drive we stopped at Inks lake state park and it seemed pretty dry and barren. What say you locals.

[love roses]

It was a historic drought. Many of the Lakes were at some of the lowest they've been in 50 yrs. It's Texas, it gets very hot and yes sometimes the grass will dry up. This summer wasn't typical. I think we had one or two more days left to break the last record of (someone correct me here) somewhere between 60 to 100 straight days of 100 degrees+ weather.

[Moonlady]

Drought or no, it can sometimes turn brown by mid July and stay that way until it rains again in September. It's definitely not green all year round.

[tibbar]

I don't remember this area as being very "green" along the highways through the summers. Seems the heat takes a toll very fast on the roadside grasses. I remember one Thanksgiving thinking it was "green" here and going to Seattle for a week. When I came back everything looked brown and the trees were so short. It's all what you get used to.

[atxcio]

It's a semi-desert landscape; there is no rich, black topsoil to support significant greenery. The cedars and live oaks covering the hills are always green, but if you walk along the road you will see white, rocky soil with some green groundcover if it has been wet. Otherwise, it will be dry and dusty. That's just the character of the landscape.

The lakes will look a lot fuller than the last time you saw them, however.

[calel]

The Hill Country is mostly scrub brush, cactii, cedar trees, and live oaks. It's always dry looking and brown to me (as a former denizen of the Piney Woods), but it's got its own charms. Most of Austin is actually in the blackland prairie and that part is lush and green when we're not suffering from a two year-long drought.

[love roses]

East of 35 is Blackland Prairie, West of 35 is rockier.

[bman15470]

OK, thanks all, that helps a lot. bman