Today is a rainy Sunday and this isn't just any storm but one that has the potential to deliver something like 3/4 to an inch or more of rain.
When I was a rare plant botany technician in Southern California one inch rainstorm events were very exciting! The addition of an inch of rain to places like Anza Borrego Desert State Park is enough to cause a germination event in native wildflowers! An inch of rain is significant.
Some of the flowers I brought back with me from California tend to germinate well after a one inch rain event. This could mean that I will have California's two chia species Salvia columbariae and Salvia carduacea in my garden as volunteers this year. It may also mean that the tomatoes I recently direct seeded will be germinating within a few days! I have noticed this to be the case in years past. So if my past observations are a guide I can now expect tomatoes. Observation is a important foundation of both indigenous science and western science. What have you observed in your garden or while outside recently?