Have you ever been in a thunderstorm and have the lightning strike so closely that the sound went out before it came back in?

Well, welcome to Everglades National Park in June! Just to the south and west of Miami is a little two-lane road that took us into the Everglades and to the very bottom of the Florida peninsula. As we drove out . . . Now, don't get me started about the way Floridians, en masse, drive everywhere under the speed limit !?!?!? . . . but as we drove out into a land covered with what looks like a vast grassland, we discovered that once you get out of the car and start trekking around, you are almost always standing in a foot or two (or three) of water.

Alligators, birds, wildlife (and mosquitos) were everywhere. As we got deeper into the 38-mile roadway, the clouds thickened and it started to dump rain. So much that even with the wipers at full speed we could only drive a few miles an hour . . . I don't know about you, but I really like that kind of thing . . . Then came the lightning . . .

Now, I was once in a lightning storm in Indianapolis, on an upper floor of a hotel, and was able to watch the lightning strike the rods on the tops of all the tall buildings downtown. The storm lasted for about two hours . . . One of the coolest things I have ever seen.

I'm a SoCal boy. We get lightning in one out of every 10 or 12 storms, and sometimes that takes two or three years . . .

But Florida has by far the most lightning of any place I have ever been.

Anyways, we finally got to the end of the road, a bit ahead of the storm, and we ran to the visitors building only to find that just a small section of it was open because, evidently, June 1st is the beginning of hurricane season. The storm though was right behind us, and as we ventured outside and stood under a walkway, Noah's flood struck South Florida - with rain and lighting and thunder all around us, when . . . Pop . . . Growl . . . . Kaboom!!! Oh . . . Did I mention that right next to us was a metal structure/radio tower/lightning rod? Like the buildings in Indy . . . The lightning struck so close that the sound went outward before it came crashing back in . . .

We ran inside . . . Ok . . A little late . . . But "inside" was actually closer to the tower and lightning struck it two more times . . . Of course, as the storm began to let up, guess who got elected to go get the car? . . . Needless to say, I made it, but talk about being amped for the drive back ;-) You know, July is national irrigation month. However, in places like Florida, where an airboat captain talked about the drought as, on that day too, we had to duck inside from the rain; to Indianapolis, where the concern about fresh water is centered on pollutants not supply; to CA, where landscape water in my city is limited to 10 mins. per station on Tuesday and Friday only (and trust me, that will not keep much of the green very green); the meaning of water conservation and proper irrigation has a wide definition.

Coming from the Southwest I get it. It makes sense to look for ways to save water in landscaping. The thing is, landscape irrigation (as opposed to agricultural irrigation), at its worst, accounts for maybe 7% of the fresh water used. Cut it in HALF and you save maybe 3.5% of all the water used. . . But then you would kill large swaths of urban greenery . . .

Still, while landscape irrigation is a relatively small part of the equation, you should be proud how the landscape industries have led in recognizing ways to use the resource responsibly. At the same time, at some point we need to fight for the value of landscape. Just like thunder and lightning, landscape water attracts a lot of attention, but I say we'd be better off with more landscape and 3% fewer fruits and vegetables coming from Central CA.

It's important to use water wisely, but it is also important to remember the awe of landscape and the wildlife it supports . . . As my mentor, Donald Milton Roberts, FASLA once said, "Water is a terrible force. Too much and you got flooding and devastation, too little and no life can exist, but with the right amount you can turn an entire hillside the prettiest shade of yellow you'll ever see."

So enjoy your summer, enjoy your travels, stay away from the lightning rods, and wherever you are, take a long drink of fresh water. As a landscape professional you deserve it . . .

God bless

George Schmok, Publisher