Global Warming? Old news here.

Apparently, though, global warming is palatable in the first few days after the snow leaves it.

We’re talking about cheat grass, the green haze riding over the land (and filling the footprint above).

In the next two months, this sharp-seeded, inedible, flammable relic of the 19th century cattle industry will have stolen all the water in the hills and turned them into a near-desert, especially in the sense of a profound lack of species diversity.

But, right now, this stuff that started growing in late September and overwintered under the snow is just edible, but only for a short period. These deer, imprisoned on the mountain by orchard fencing ate the tender bunchgrass stalks a couple months back, in a break in the weather. Sadly, they have more of an impact on the bunchgrass than the weeds, but it’s good to see them having a go at it.