Indian plum drops its leaves two months early, signaling drought

July 21, 2026San Juan Islands

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Indian plum is already yellowing and dropping its leaves in mid-July—a full two months ahead of its typical fall senescence. For a shrub that leafs out first each February, this precocious collapse reads as a clear signal: the San Juan Islands are gripped by summer drought stress. The region sits in one of the driest rain shadows in the Pacific Northwest, catching barely half the rainfall of Seattle less than 90 miles away.

is showing the same compressed urgency—flowers and ripening fruit visible at once this week, as though the plant is racing to complete its reproductive calendar before soil moisture runs out entirely. Both species are reading the same ecological cue: a dry July is telling the understory that summer is already over.

As temperatures climb through the week, air quality is expected to worsen as well, likely from smoke drifting in from inland fires. This seasonal combination of heat, drought, and smoke has become the defining summer signature for these inland waters.

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