Cold weather is coming to an end. Guling (orchids) are flowering.
❝ The orchids, that’s those little ones. They grow down on the flat too across Badger Creek – has a little flower like a star. If we had a headache Granny Jemima would pick that and boil it and give you a very little bit to drink.❞ – Jessie Hunter, 1999
Ae-noke (caterpillars) of Common Brown butterfly (Heteronympha merope) feed on grasses at night.
Muyan (Silver Wattles, Acacia dealbata) are flowering.
Bulen-bulen (Superb Lyrebird, Menura novaehollandiae) males perform the last of their courtship displays.
The star Arcturus is seen on the northwestern horizon soon after sunset.
Gurrborra (Koalas, Phascolarctos cinereus) begin mating. Males bellow at night.
— Eastern Kulin Seasonal Calendar [Melbourne Museum]
❝ The first butterflies appear in the south and many ground orchids are in full flower. The cuckoos return and call continuously, as many more small birds begin nesting. Humans prepare vegetable gardens for Spring planting. Owls are nesting; listen for boobook owls in the bush. ❞
– Banksias and Bilbies
❝ The bush awakens! Cuckoos call continuously, pond life teems, the first butterflies appear. Small sea invertebrates begin breeding as the rock pools warm up. Humans prepare vegetable gardens for spring planting. ❞
– Gum Leaves and Geckoes
❝ Early Spring – Mid July, August
As early as mid-July, MUYAN, Silver Wattle, started to flower, the first of the wattles to do so. It earned the name of ‘Barak’s Wattle’ because when he died at Coranderrk on August 15th 1903, MUYAN was in full golden bloom. Yellow Box also flowered, providing much nectar. Early Nancy was the first of the small food plants to flower, and by late August the MURNONG was budding. Pacific Black Duck People moved slowly towards the lower lands as the spring temperatures rose, there they were able to snare ducks, to catch other kinds of wild-fowl, and, as the season advanced, to get eggs from the nests of all kinds of birds. ❞
– Dr. Beth Gott Seasonal Calendars for the Melbourne Area
❝ Early spring, from late July to late September, when more wattles begin blooming, many species of insectivorous birds begin nesting, pallid cuckoos call, orchids flower, joeys emerge from the pouch, cattle egrets frequent the river flats, new shoots appear on aquatic plants and painted lady butterflies emerge ❞
– Alan Reid (1993) six seasons for the middle Yarra region
The star Arcturus is seen on the northwestern horizon soon after sunset.
Arcturus is a red giant star located just 37 light-years away. It’s the 4th-brightest star in the sky, and is the alpha star of the constellation of Bootes, the herdsman.
For the Wergaia people in Western Victoria, when Arcturus rises in the evening during the winter it signifies time to begin harvesting the bittur (termite larvae).
Towns: daffodils flower, cupmoth cocoons on gum leaves; spotted doves (Spilopelia chinensis) building nests
Grasslands: spider hatchlings in long grass; young foxes playing; magpie-larks (Grallina cyanoleuca) building mud nests – willie wagtails (Rhipidura leucophrys) often build below them.
Wetlands: mosquito wrigglers abundant; early ducklings walk to water; reed warblers (Acrocephalus australis) return from north.
Ranges: snows are thawing
The Seven Seasons of the Kulin Nation
Reid, A.J. (1984) Gum Leaves and Geckoes: Gould League Nature Diary. Gould League of Victoria.
Reid, A.J. (1995) Banksias and Bilbies: Seasons of Australia. Gould League of Victoria.
Gott, B. Melbourne’s 6 seasons [Friends Of Herring Island]
Eastern Kulin Seasonal Calendar [Melbourne Museum]
Previously: August (2020)
Visible Procrastinations 
Pingback: Guling Orchid Season | Visible Procrastinations