I find it hard to believe we are now into the second month of the second half of the year. For us here in Australia August is the last month of winter – spring starts officially on the first day of September. Early winter this year was unbelievably cold and July has been reported as being the warmest on record – to me it seemed cold so I’m not sure where I was on those days. To be fair we did have a few pleasant dry sunny days in the high teens (celcius) so maybe they contributed to the record!
http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/eastern-australia-experiences-warmest-july-on-record/story-e6frfkp9-1226688944495
Some very low overnights coming up this week so the hotties will certainly be coming out at bedtime!
We have a small wattle tree at the bottom of our garden visible from the kitchen window and when it blooms in the winter I feel ‘comfortable’ – doesn’t matter what’s it like – on a dull day or a bright sunny day – seeing those fluffy yellow balls there gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling.
- From the deck – Dull day
In fact when I see any wattle bloom I usually smile – don’t ask me why – I just do :).
When I see winter bulbs flowering and realise the seasons are changing – it also follows that seeing the yellow wattles in winter means the season will change.
Might take a while but it will happen.
So what does one do when all that sunshine in a different form is available for the taking – Well I usually bring some into the house along with azalea and camelias that might be out- just to give me the opportunity to smile on what could be a cold winter’s day 🙂
Did you know that of the 1300 species of Acacia 960 are native to Australia – we call them Wattle here in Australia. They are found in all states and about a third flower in winter
Golden wattle (Acacia pycnantha), is the floral emblem of Australia
And September 1 is Wattle Day
http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/publications/symbols/factsheets/national_floral_emblem.pdf
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2003/07/03/2578547.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acacia
Flowers from around the world can be found here
Happy for you that Spring is on its way, sad for us in North America, sigh.
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The yellow blossoms are very cute, like pom-poms!
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I love your little balls of sunshine! We have a yellow bush here that heralds spring, it’s called forsythia. I always feel good when I see the forsythia bloom, it means that winter is about to lose the battle and give in to the warmer weather.
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Impost photos of our wattle in full bloom just a little while ago.
They certainly look great and yes they are big golden happy trees. Must be that bright yellow
A contrast of the grey days we are having.
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What a lovely tree, seeing these bloom for the first time every year would definitely bring a smile to my face. Thank you for sharing them with Today’s Flowers Cathy. I also always love to see your pretty kitchen window with its lovely collectibles, and, the vases of flowers is a great addition. .
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Oh, I love wattle and I am always reminded of May Gibbs Wattle Babies when I see it!
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Oh! I love the golden wattles Cathy, even the smell of them is delightful ….. Spring is on it’s way.
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Well, yellow is a happy color and that is why it makes you smile. I always love to look at the yellow shower trees in Hawaii.
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I don’t know that tree with it’s pretty blooms, but I can see why it makes you smile.
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I always get a little choked up when I read about your winter coming to an end. That means we are slowing going into ours. I loved winter as a child, then grew less fond of it with the commute to work. Maybe I will like it more when I retire. Your flowers are lovely!
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Reminds me to go cut some flowers from my garden.
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Hi Cathy, your flowers look so cheery on your windowsill. I too love it when the wattle starts to bloom – that dash of yellow certainly adds a sparkle to the garden.
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