Signs of Spring

Whether you adhere to the Vivaldi option of four seasons or the Entwisle five, the signs of change are in the bush at last.

Professor Tim Entwisle, the director of the Royal Botanic Gardens of Victoria, has proposed that in Australia we should consider replacing the traditional European four season concept with a more applicable five – Sprinter (August and September), Sprummer (October and November), Summer (December to March), Autumn (April and May), and Winter (June and July).

Right now in the bush, the Winter orchids are withering; many birds are nesting; and the early flowering plants are beginning to bloom.

A case in point is evident at the nearby Thornells Reserve. Clematis (aristata I think), and Wonga Vine (Pandorea pandorana), are flowering in abundance at present.

Clematis aristata or Old Mans Beard

Pandorea pandorana - Wonga Vine

 Amongst the acacias, a few plants of prickly Moses are a standout right now.

Prickly Moses - Acacia verticillata

 Both species of Pardalote, Striated and Spotted, are calling incessantly and the Yellow-faced, White-naped and White-eared Honeyeaters are busy attending to various flowering eucs and acacias in the reserve.

White-naped Honeyeater

 Most birdwatching 'tragics' will have a favourite harbinger of Spring species – the first Cuckoo, Oriole or Rufous Whistler, etc - and Thornells is a great place to observe the first Summer migrants to arrive.

Note: Friends of Drouin's Trees will be conducting their second bird survey of Drouin in late October. If you would like to join us and help out, or just come along and see some of Drouin's wonderful avifauna, please contact Peter at drouinwaresATgmailDOTcom for details.