Only 0.01 inch of rain last week along with warm temperatures have resulted in a significant increase in dry conditions. Brown patches on lawns are expanding and grass has stopped growing. Garden soil is dry a couple inches deep and I have started selective watering. My pond has completely dried up. A Great Blue Heron visited several times during the week to feast on stranded amphibians. The water level in Bassett Brook is low and the spillway of old mill dam on the Hoosic River at Cheshire Harbor is showing intermittent dry spots. The leaf litter on the forest floor is dry and mushrooms are few. Bears are active and I chased a large black bear out of my chestnut tree Tuesday night. Normally wet sections of hiking trails on Mt Greylock have dried out.