The Canopy effect

[jeff kushner]

It got pretty hot yesterday with temps in the mid 90's so around 4:30 or so, in full sun I went out to see how much the greenery helps cool Matilda's home.

I took the temp on top of her home, then under the canopy....





When it's this hot, I empty a pitcher of cool water over her entire enclosure from the deck when I get home each day at 1pm, shaking it as I empty it to break up the drops to cool her home down. Her pond, 14" x 10" is invisible under the canopy now and keeps her home nice and humid! She lives in a luxury home like "Falling Rocks"! (a home built by Frank Lloyd Wright up in PA.)

I keep an eye on her b/c her wood part of her home was 112F yesterday but she moves in and out of the sun so I know she's comfy or she would be hiding in the shade all the time.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Shade and secondary shade is very helpful.
(Such as shade cloth and plants)
We're all going to have to get creative if the summers are going to be this hot.
That's very nicely planted. BTW.

 

[SinLA]

I put some ice cubes in a humid hide buried under woodchips, it stayed in the 80s while the outside ambient temps was upper 90s and ground temps much hotter...

 

[wellington]

We have 96 feel like 110 today. Yesterday was very hot too and we get humid. Besides the taller weeds, and tree shade, they can go inside their shed and I run a sprinkler for a few hours so they get some cool water holes to go into.