Happy Wattle Day and spring time in Canberra!

I’m a little bit late for this greeting…. Wattle Day in Australia is 1st September, the beginning of spring.

The Golden Wattle flower is our national floral emblem.

Golden wattle National Archives of Australia (422x425)
Golden Wattle National Archives of Australia

It is colourful, full of hope, incredibly resilient, and regenerates easily after fire. The perfect Australian plant.

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There are more than 1000 species of wattle in Australia, and I am told, somewhere in Australia a Wattle plant is flowering every day of the year. How about that!

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Terry Fewtrell, the Wattle Day Association President says that wattles have been part of the Australian landscape for 30 million years,

“Wattles are like the great silent witness to the whole Australian story…”

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I walked around my suburb on Wattle Day, and some Wattles were flowering…

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Some parts were nearly finished…

and some were just starting to bloom..

IMG_5569 (1024x813)Flowering in the National Art Gallery spring garden is a more unusual Wattle, with  a cinnamon coloured flower. It is called Acacia Leprosa or Scarlet Blaze.

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No matter which Wattle plant you choose for your garden, Angus Stewart, from Gardening Australia, says you are onto a winner … (in a very expressive Aussie kind of way)

”because wattles literally grow on the sniff of an empty fertilizer bag”

I was having a very Australian bird kind of day on the first day of spring as I walked….

The Red Wattle bird is watching me from the garden.

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Our resident magpie is….looking alert. Magpies can be tricky in spring because they become very territorial and can swoop passers-by. I like to think I’ve built up some good karma by providing so many water bowls for them in summer, not to mention putting up with high maintenance babies.

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At the end of the day….a call from the two very cute new kookaburras who seem to have set up home in our area..

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And, as the sun is setting over the Brindabella Mountains, more rain is promised this week…

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What could be better for the first week of spring?

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I hope you are enjoying your green spaces wherever you are in the world.

 

24 Replies to “Happy Wattle Day and spring time in Canberra!”

  1. Such a lovely post Gerrie! What great pictures of the birds. We’ve had some blue wrens about which is quite special.

  2. I was interested to read this and fascinating to think that the wattles have been part of the landscape for so long. They are such a bright flower, too. I love all the birds. The kookaburras look so different to anything I would see here, while the magpie looks so similar to the magpies found in my garden.

    1. Thanks Wendy, the Wattle flowers are very bright indeed! The kookaburras are a big favourite in our garden and don’t mind having their photo taken.

  3. Happy spring to you, Gerrie. Beautiful photos from your part of the world. The wattle flowers are so bright and cheerful, and I love your bird pics too. What stunning views across to the mountains. perfect! 🙂

  4. I love your cheery yellow Golden Wattle. Walking around checking those beautiful flowers out would put anyone in a spring mood. I was just a happy camper reading along until I got to your kookaburras and then I had to really smile. Oh, those feather styles on the top. Handsome, cute little guys or gals. It’s certainly a beautiful day in your neighborhood. 🙂

  5. I love the Wattles – what wonderful trees! The kookaburras are pretty cool, also. Lucky you, just starting with spring, as we head into fall and winter.

  6. Happy spring, Mimosa, as we call it here, is one of the first trees/shrubs to flower here in spring. I planted one a couple of years ago and it is growing with no addition water at all and looks like its thriving.

    1. Interesting to hear of your experience with Mimosa … The fact that they can survive with so little water is a big plus.

    1. Thank you, spring is always welcome! I was about to comment on your post, I enjoy your wonderful photos of gardens. So sorry that you are experiencing drought now.

  7. I love how our seasons are different, as I shall get to enjoy your summer when our winter kicks in. The yellow wattle is so vibrant, perfect for spring and everything that Australia stands for. I did enjoy your birds, I saw lots of black and white magpies while visiting Oz…..ours are all block. How I envy you those sweet kookaburras!xxx

    1. Yes, I’ve enjoyed looking at overseas blogs during winter, we all get our turn! I do love the kookaburras too, and they share food with each other too, which is lovely to see.

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