Plants are flowering.
Baby animals are showing their little faces.
Days are getting longer.
The air is warming.
We have a spring in our step.
Here in Australia spring starts on 1 September. In the astronomical calendar spring begins on the 21 September. We tend to do things differently in down under.
Wattle Day & the Golden Wattle
The 1st day of spring is also Wattle Day. The Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) is an evergreen spreading shrub or small tree. Did you know there are more than 760 different types of wattle across Australia?
Yet, despite of the wattle’s iconic status some types are threatened by extinction.
Australian Floral Emblem
The humble wattle is Australia’s national floral emblem. The Australian national colours of green and gold are derived from it and are well known around the world due to national and international sport events.
Wattle Bush Broken Head August 2020
As one species of a large genus of flora growing across Australia, the golden wattle is a symbol of unity.
Wattle is ideally suited to withstand Australia’s droughts, winds and bushfires. The resilience of wattle represents the spirit of the Australian people.
In recent times, the golden wattle has been used as a symbol of remembrance and reflection. On national days of mourning, for example, Australians are invited to wear a sprig of wattle. Quoted from the Australian Government Website.
Plant a Wattle
Wattle Bush in Broken Head August 2016
Over the years we have planted quite a few wattles and witnessed them prospering and being visited by many insects and birds, especially ladybirds, king parrots and tiny little honey eaters.
Why not plant a local wattle this spring to celebrate Wattle Day? Spring into action, why don’t you? You can find instructions on this fact sheet!
P.S. Some trivia: a recent revision of the Australian Made logo was based on the wattle. It caused a bit of a stir. Firstly, because its development was very expensive and secondly, because the logo was a bit too abstract and looks like the COVID-19 virus. Here it is next to the famous kangaroo version. What do you think?
