December

• Green seedpods on Dean's Wattle
• Mature wattle pods opening
• Galah enjoying the green wattle pods
• Our chickens enjoying the fallen wattle seeds
• Crested Pigeons enjoying the fallen wattle seeds

The first of December is the official start of summer in Australia.

December weather

The weather really begins to warm up in December.  Summer thunderstorms provide the much needed rain, but because of the warm soil it quickly evaoprates.

Many wattle seeds will ripen this month.  In the past, the wattle seeds were also a valuable food for the Aboriginal people.  They used the seeds to make cakes and breads.

What is happening?

Plants

• Most of the native plants have finished flowering, but the seeds are beginning to mature.  This is the best month to collect seed from many of the Australian native shrubs and grasses.  
• The green wattle pods of early December turn brown by late December as the seeds mature. When the pods are ripe they split open along the edges and many of the seeds will fall to the ground.  The length and shape of the pods are one of the important features for identifying wattles.

Animals

• The green pods are a favourite food of parrots, noteably the threatened Superb Parrot. 
• The mature wattle seeds that fall to the ground are eagerly eaten by our chickens and Crested Pigeons.  Sometimes there are fights amongst the birds in a rush to get to the seeds first.
• Many of the baby birds will have left the nest (fledge), but still hang around the adults for a feed.  The various begging noises can be heard in the garden, especially the Magpies and Galahs.

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