The summer "monsoon" rains came about mid-July and the trees responded with a whole new set of leaves. This picture of the same hillside was taken in early August, just six weeks after the upper one.
The summer of 2002 was very dry down here. The scrub oak trees started out the spring in full foliage, but dropped about 90% of their leaves by late May as a defensive effort to conserve moisture. By the end of June all of the leaves had gone, and the hillside just across the ravine looked like part of the Rodeo fire that was tearing up the Rim about that same time.
