It's Djilba

 This is the Noongar season which coincides approximately with August to September - the Noongar are the First Nations people indigenous to this part of south western Australia. Djilba is a bit of a mixture with cold clear days and warmer rainy periods. There are six Noongar seasons which makes much more sense than attempting to shoehorn our weather into the traditional European pattern of only four seasons. In that system we'd be still be in winter with spring another month away. Now there's more recognition that this really doesn't work and it's becoming common for the Noongar seasons to be acknowledged.

This is the time when the wildflowers burst into bloom creating spectacular carpets of colour. Last weekend we visited family on a bush block north of here and along the way we could see they are just starting to come out. Then this morning I noticed the first of my kangaroo paws are open. 

As you can see from this not great photo those I grow are the red and green variety (Anigozanthos manglesii) which is our state's floral emblem. They tend to be less tough than than the hybrid varieties commonly found in gardens (they're very prone to a fungus called "ink spot" for a start) but I like their rich colours so I persist. There are still some places in the hills to the east of the city where they can be found en masse and it's a lovely sight. As I live close to the coast - not their preferred location - I settle for a few pots to give me a taste of the bush. I have to say that they aren't all that easy to come by with only a couple of nurseries producing them. Still I think they're worth the effort, don't you.