After one of the hottest, driest summers Austin has ever seen, we finally got some rain last month. Not just a quick shower that disappears in minutes, but days of slow, steady soaking. For fans of crape myrtles ( Lagerstroemia indica), it was a sweet reward.
Crape myrtles are native to Asia, but they do well almost everywhere. They are tough, reliable trees
that usu
ally bloom all summer. In this year's heat, not so much. Irrigated trees in parking lots and commercial developments (and a few residences) bloomed, though perhaps not as boldly as in other years, but most of us saw few, if any, flowers. Finally, the rain changed that. 
For several days, it was hard to find a place in Austin that was not in view of a burst of blossoms on at least one crape. It was an amazing show.
