Starting to get dry around here

Data from MSU Enviroweather site 
red line is evaporation since March 1 and blue line is rainfall.

We have had two inches of rain since June 1 and almost five and a half inches of "Potential Evapotranspiration".  The difference gets sucked out of the top layers of soil.

The plants shut down growth when that happens.  They may have deep roots and be able to mine moisture but they cannot access the nutrients in the rich, shallow layers when that soil is dry.  The plants continue to make carbs but they bank them, waiting for rain.