I estimate that we have received 8-10" or more of rain in the past 24 hours. More downpours are predicted for Sat./Sun. About 30 minutes ago the rain paused and the sun peeked. My husband went out back and saw our canal had risen to cover our dock in a foot of water and our seawall to reach the retaining wall above. This is the first time in years the water level reached such heights. Eighty feet across the Isabelle Canal, water totally drowned the seawall of a vacant lot. I decided to take photos of our soggy yard and a couple of bodacious palms glistening with rain.

The photos below are of our dock, canal and seawall. My husband pulled plastic adirondack chairs before they floated away.

Everything was glistening from rain in the temporary sunlight. I looked right and noticed the fat lime green crownshaft of my trunking Carpoxylon. My first two attempts at this species ended badly, but my third try was a winner. What a grand palm!

Carpoxylon macrospermum

Then I noticed my Chambeyronia Houailou had recently sent up a new leaf. This palm doesn't open the intense burgundy red leaves of C. macrocarpa. They are more of a  salmon pink but very nice anyway. And the leaves are more recurved.

Chambeyronia Houailou

Finally I walked around the west side of the house to take photos of our flooded garden lot. I've never seen it flooded to this extent. Many nearby palms, i.e. Archonotophoenix spp and Gaussia maya were marooned on tiny mulch islands. Fortunately, our wretched soil is mostly sand and all this flooding will also drain in the canal within hours after rain stops, so not long term mucky swamp conditions.

What a sight!  I bet the palms are loving it.

Beautiful garden Meg, I have Carpoxylon envy now. Is it salt or fresh water?

Edited August 25, 20178 yr by topwater

Wow that's a lot of water! 8 inches is just about our annual rainfall! that Carpoxylon macrospermum looks great btw - if anything could be called boadious this palm would be it. 

Enjoyed the photos, oh yeah, that's a lot of moisture. 

We've had 8" of rain here as of late, but not all in 24 hours, more like three days. 

The Carpoxylon looks great, and that nice fat base is a good sign. Not many palms have that wonderful lime green color either. 

Tim

40 minutes ago, topwater said:

Beautiful garden Meg, I have Carpoxylon envy now. Is it salt or fresh water?

Thanks, all.

Topwater, that is a freshwater canal, also known in Cape Coral as Poor Man's Waterfront. All excess rainwater will drain over a weir into a saltwater canal then out to sea.

Freshwater definitely has its advantages, my backyard is oysters, stingrays, and jellyfish, and much less scenic than yours.  Gives a big incentive not to fall off the paddle board. 

Edited August 25, 20178 yr by topwater

Its just amazing to me that we are in the 3rd year of drought & just 120 miles away.  We're paying $2,000 on Tuesday to install irrigation because we can't keep anything alive without dragging hoses 500'.  Even the Bahia is going dormant again, right in the middle of the rainy season.  Ugh.  I'm so over the rains going 5 miles east, west, north, south but not here.  And much of FL is just swamped.  

Love the Carpoxylon.  

I'm with Keith. I'm in Daytona Beach Shores and it has been dry as a bone. Looks like that low is finally going to start moving our way. Good luck with your garden. Besides the flooding it looks GREAT. 

Looking good Meg, i think we need to build an ark! I have received 7.68" of rain this week, flooded our road my house is on, flooded so bad I have a catfish swimming in the road, thanks to our canals!

 

 

Edited August 26, 20178 yr by Palmaceae

6 hours ago, Palmaceae said:

Looking good Meg, i think we need to build an ark! I have received 7.68" of rain this week, flooded our road my house is on, flooded so bad I have a catfish swimming in the road, thanks to our canals!

 

 

I love the catfish. Haven't seen one here yet. Our drainage here used to be as bad as yours. When we first moved here it wasn't uncommon to see someone's empty trash can floating down the middle of Santa Barbara Blvd. Finally, the city used stormwater fees to install concrete pipes & drains to funnel rain away from streets and into  nearby canals.

Same here in Naples.  The rain just doesn't want to stop. Time to go buy a boat to get to work

Great looking jungle. That Carpoxylon looks great. Out of six attempts I have one that looks good.

16 hours ago, topwater said:

Freshwater definitely has its advantages, my backyard is oysters, stingrays, and jellyfish, and much less scenic than yours.  Gives a big incentive not to fall off the paddle board. 

I've slipped and landed feet-first (not sure why I didn't have my flipflops on) on a bed of oysters while trying to unhook a stuck fishing lure. That was not a good time. Not a good time at all. Used an entire bottle of hydrogen peroxide and Hibiclens cleaning the wounds, and made walking rather painful for the next week 

As long as there's no lightning, it makes for wonderful gardening weather  Beats sweating to dehydration in less than a half hour in blasting sun. I've got a list of things to get done in the front and back lots today. Could use some helping hands 

12 hours ago, Palmaceae said:

Looking good Meg, i think we need to build an ark! I have received 7.68" of rain this week, flooded our road my house is on, flooded so bad I have a catfish swimming in the road, thanks to our canals!

 

 

That would be a non-native walking catfish! They have the ability to "walk" across dry land, to find food or suitable environments. From Asia and considered invasive, but they don't really have much on a effect on our native flora and fauna.

I can help stock the ark with animals! Dogs, chickens, turkeys, a parrot, tortoise, and chameleon, crickets, a clean, non-flying, non-climbing roach species, and silkworm moths as well!

13 hours ago, Palmaceae said:

Looking good Meg, i think we need to build an ark! I have received 7.68" of rain this week, flooded our road my house is on, flooded so bad I have a catfish swimming in the road, thanks to our canals!

 

 

Looks like the perfect size to fry whole. There'd be extinct in Texas, every redneck in town (self included) would be driving around town and throwing them into the back of the truck for a fish fry.

 

 

Got another 6"+ overnight. Our rain gauge holds only 5" at a time so we have to guess the overage.  So, perhaps 18" or more in the past 48 hours. After yesterday's brief sunny respite, the yard is as flooded as ever. The canal is over the seawall and halfway up the retaining wall.

3 hours ago, PalmatierMeg said:

Got another 6"+ overnight. Our rain gauge holds only 5" at a time so we have to guess the overage.  So, perhaps 18" or more in the past 48 hours. After yesterday's brief sunny respite, the yard is as flooded as ever. The canal is over the seawall and halfway up the retaining wall.

I have recorded 11.11" so far and it is not over yet!

Edited August 26, 20178 yr by Palmaceae

Wow! 

So far as of right now I have received 14.11" of rain with this system. And it is still raining.

1 hour ago, Palmaceae said:

So far as of right now I have received 14.11" of rain with this system. And it is still raining.

Been pouring here for the past several hours. My husband told me last night he thought I'd overestimated our total rainfall, i.e, we'd had "only" 13-14". Then we had 5" overnight and this morning. So, current total is now 18-19" and more falling.

Major road intersections are closed all over the Cape. AND, yesterday SW Cape recorded two sinkholes! In the 24+ years we have lived here, I've never heard of a sinkhole in Cape Coral.

10 minutes ago, PalmatierMeg said:

Been pouring here for the past several hours. My husband told me last night he thought I'd overestimated our total rainfall, i.e, we'd had "only" 13-14". Then we had 5" overnight and this morning. So, current total is now 18-19" and more falling.

Major road intersections are closed all over the Cape. AND, yesterday SW Cape recorded two sinkholes! In the 24+ years we have lived here, I've never heard of a sinkhole in Cape Coral.

I heard about those sinkholes! Still raining and up to 14.56" and a lot more coming in from the gulf. The roads are flooded in my neighborhood.

At least my Raphia feels at home.

 

Evening update: we got another 2-1/2" this afternoon. Total is now 20-21". More rain forecast overnight & tomorrow.

How are you guys hanging in there now?

Got another 0.75" overnight - up to 21-22" total.

Raining again, my total is 15.89" with this system. If it was not for Texas (and rightfully so as they are really suffering) with its heavy rain and storm from Harvey I think we would be in the news.

This same storm giving us all this rain looks like will turn into at least a tropical storm and there are TS warnings in North Carolina.

Edited August 28, 20178 yr by Palmaceae

My grand total from this system was 16.03", all that in a few days. That of course is a drop in the bucket compared to Texas, which the highest amount was 49.32" as of now.

Edited August 29, 20178 yr by Palmaceae