I think the lack of humidity combined with hot winds are part of it. Really, though, a plant that is in full sun only 6-8 hours here is getting some shade for a good part of the day from somewhere. Otherwise it would be getting sun for more like 12 or more hours of direct sun. I lived in coastal Texas for a while. It was hot and very humid. The humidity seems to mitigate the effects of sun. I'm not sure how, but the surface of a plant does not burn with exposure like it does here. Even native plants that grow in it naturally get some browning effect after a while. There's something more harsh about the sunlight as you move east to west across the broad central part of Texas. That's my own observation. I have no science or other source to back it up
. I really wonder if the additional green from more rainfall mitigates the effects of hot sun somehow. Less glare, softens it by absorption or something.
