This monsoon season, which officially began on June 28, 2006, has been very good, despite some damage from the winds. Tucson and the entire southwest has been in a prolonged drought. It has been so dry that even some cacti on my property died before the monsoon season. How dry? Well, between October 1, 2005 and the beginning of the monsoon season, Tucson had received less than one inch of rain. That is almost 9 months with virtually no rain (our normal annual rainfall is over 12 inches).
But, this has been a bountiful monsoon season. Since June 28, I have recorded over 9.50 inches of rain. The rains have brought the desert to life. The mesquite, acacia, and palo verde trees and the prickly pear and cholla cacti have all added significant growth, the desert is lush and green, and desert wildflowers are blooming everywhere.
The cacti are blooming.
The sweet acacias are blooming (my granddaughter, Bella, insisted on getting in the picture).
The creosote bushes, the source of the wonderful desert aroma after rains, are blooming.
And all sorts of flowers, whose names I don't know, are blooming. 
Yes, without a doubt, our precious Sonoran Desert has truly been reborn.
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