Rain, Blooms & Seasonal Shifts ... My Dry Tropics Garden Journal ... Beginning of Autumn, Week 12, March 2025

Garden Journal Entry - Week 12

This week's weather:

Seasons:  early Autumn & Wet Season
Daytime Temps:  26°C - 30°C            
Night Time Temps: 22°C - 24°C
Humidity Levels: 70 to 100%     
Hours of daylight:  12 hours 5 mins
Rainfall:   mm  ( inches) 

It's been another week of relentless rain here in the foothills, with a whooping 261 mm (10 inches) falling over the past seven days.  The inner city has been hit harder, recording 563 mm (22 inches) in the same period - adding to an already record-breaking month!  With near-constant grey skies and rain, day and night, gardening has taken a back seat.

I did manage to spot a sliver of blue sky this morning, but it was a fleeting vision!  Despite the dreary weather, the temperatures have been rather lovely, hovering between 26 to 28°C most days.  With the March equinox arriving yesterday, we've officially entered the season of shorter, cooler days.  

Rainy Days and Minimal Garden Work

With all this rain, my garden tasks have been minimal.  The only work I've managed this week, during the brief dry spells, has been some light weeding and monitoring plant health out in the shade house garden where there is little ventilation during these rather still days.  

But even with the lack of sunshine, Mother Nature is still putting on a show.

Signs Of Autumn:  Acacias In Bloom

A sure sign that autumn has arrived in the dry tropics is the blooming of our native Acacias (Wattles).  I've spotted them in full display out in the surrounding bushland and in our neighbour's yard during quick strolls between showers.  

There are two varieties around here - 

one with golden yellow flowers 

and another with a softer, pale lemon hue.  

Unlike their southern counterparts, which bloom in September (our spring), the Acacias here in the north flower from March through to May, bringing golden highlights to the landscape.

The Golden Rain Tree and Peanut Tree Put On A Show

The Koelreuteria paniculata, or Golden Rain Tree, is another autumn star.  The tree near my fence line is covered in golden flower clusters, and striking red papery seed capsules.  It's a spectacular sight against the otherwise grey backdrop of rainy days.

Another native beauty, the Sterculia quadrifida, or Peanut Tree, is also making the most of the season.  Right now, it's bursting with clusters of small, fragrant cream-white blossoms, a classic feature of autumn in our region. 

The Peanut Tree is a feature planting in the courtyard garden and is providing a carpet of little blossoms for the brick pavers at the moment.  The area does require a bit of a clean-up after a few days.

A Last Splash Of Summer:  Cassia fistula

The Cassia fistula (the Golden Shower Tree) has also been holding onto the last bit of summer, with a few bright yellow, pendulous flower sprays still clinging to its branches.  This tree typically blooms in the heat of summer, but it's been a pleasant surprise to see it hanging on a little longer this year, adding a pop of colour at the back of the courtyard garden.

This Week's Garden Highlights:

While out and about this week, I noticed lots of lovely butterflies fluttering through the garden, taking advantage of whatever brief sunshine they could find.  I also came across quite a number of very large brown stick insects hanging around in the garden beds.  Their clever camouflage always amazes me - if I hadn't been looking closely, I might have missed them entirely!  

Looking Ahead

With more rain in the forecast, I suspect garden wok will remain light for a little while longer.  As we move further into autumn though, I'm looking forward to watching more seasonal changes unfold.

How is your garden faring in this wet season?  Are you spotting any autumn bloomers or interesting garden visitors?

Until next time,

🌸 Happy gardening from the northern dry tropics!

Wordless Wednesday ... Silk Cotton Tree

Bombax ceiba leiocarpum, our native Silk Cotton Tree

for Wordless Wednesday

and Today's Flowers

Our First Day of Spring Downunder ... and Our National Wattle Day!

Tomorrow ... September 1st ... is the first day of Spring downunder ... and on this day every year we celebrate National Wattle Day!!

Wattles ... Acacias of course being their botanic name ... have a very special place in the heart of all Aussies.

Let misers hoard and hide their gold;
Here there is treasure-trove untold,
In yellow blossom, mass on mass
Spread out for wayfarers who pass
With hearts to feel, and eyes to see
How lovely is the wattle tree.

One of our native wattles (seen on the left) - Acacia pycnantha or the Golden Wattle - is our national floral emblem  ... and, of course, our national colours ... green and gold ... were inspired by the Acacia.

Towards illimitable skies
From the earth the trees arise:
Givers of Joy, their gold and green
Against the blue of Heaven is seen.
A symbol of man's destiny
Is the blossoming the wattle tree.

(Selected verses from Dora Wilcox's 'The Wattle Tree')




Acacias welcome in the Spring in many parts of Australia ... although there are many species that bloom at other times of the year.  There's over 1000 different types of Acacias ... Australia has around two-thirds of the entire world's species.  There are some that are metre-high shrubs ... and then others that are trees reaching to 15 metres tall!!

I am in no way an expert in Acacias, despite being an Aussie, as so many just look identical to me and I find it hard to tell them apart. But putting my lack of expert knowledge aside, I shall attempt to share some of the Acacias that surround me here ... there are a couple of varieties out in the bushland around my home and a number of these have sprung up on my property.  I thought I'd join in Noel's Hot, Loud and Proud meme and show some of these magnificent Acacias with you ... the names are just educated guesses!  (Please correct me if you think I'm wrong ... my shoulders are broad!)

An interesting fact about the flowers of Acacias is that there are two types - rod-shaped and ball-shaped.  There are examples of both of these flowers on the Acacias that grow here.

Here's the first Acacia that's a common sight out in the bushland. 

I think it's Acacia simsii, commonly called Sim's Wattle.

It has ball-shaped flowers.

It has seed pods that look like this ... pods alternately raised and depressed over the seeds inside.

There is also this beautiful Acacia that has bright, golden yellow rod-shaped flowers. 

This could be Acacia auriculiformis ... the Northern Black or Ear Pod Wattle.

The common name Ear Pod Wattle can be attributed to the look and shape of the seed pods.

Then finally, there is this wonderful Acacia with its grey-green foliage and creamy lemon flower spikes. 

I think this one is Acacia holosericea, commonly called Silver Leaf Wattle.

This Acacia has the most remarkable heavily curled and twisted seed pods.

These pods eventually turn brown and will stay on the tree long after the seeds have been dispersed.

As I mentioned earlier, not all Acacias bloom in Spring ... and mine don't!!!  There are no gorgeous wattle flowers out in the bush or on my property right now ... all these varieties bloomed back in Autumn.  There are seed pods on both the Ear Pod and Silver Leaf Wattles ... but that is it.  So to end this National Wattle Day post, here's a few more photos taken earlier this year.  Enjoy the green and gold on this first day of Spring.

Two of my favourite local native north Australian winter flowering trees.

As it's mid-Winter downunder, I thought I would share two great native northern Oz trees that flower at this time of the year.

In Australia there are two true native Kapoks. There is our local species and the one which is very common in Kakadu National Park, called Cochlospermum fraseri, which looks almost identical except for the leaf shape.

Every winter I am always impressed by the brilliant splashes of golden yellow which our local native Kapok Tree gives to the otherwise drab hillsides around my place.  Cochlospermum gillivraei is  a common sight not only on the rocky slopes here, but also in the vine thicket gullies on the outskirts of my city and they're commonly used in footpath and park plantings in our suburbs.






Our native Kapok loses all its leaves before flowering, which makes the flowering more obvious. The large golden yellow flowers have these beautiful contrasting stamens in the centre.

The flowers themselves are edible and are supposedly quite pleasant, according to indigenous locals. The blooms have been compared to marshmallows!! Although more than 90% water, they are surprisingly high in Vitamin C! The tap root of young Kapok plants is also edible when roasted.


After the yellow flowers are pollinated, large, globular, green, papery fruit develop, which eventually turn brown and split along the seams to reveal two contrasting layers.  This fruit will then release numerous seeds covered by long hairs. The small black seeds are woven in a dense mat of fine silky hairs. This material is known as ‘kapok’.



Well that was the first great native winter bloomer ... now for another.

Meet our native Silk Cotton Tree with its flamboyant scarlet blooms.  This tree is also sometimes known as Red Kapok.  Bombax ceiba leiocarpum, is a type of native cotton tree that is found here in northern Australia. It grows along the northern rivers and streams in the bush and also in coastal vine thickets around the sand dunes near the coast.



It can also be found in many gardens as well as in our local parks and green areas.  I'm lucky enough to have a neighbour who has a magnificent old specimen outside their property.



This tree has a thorny trunk and after shedding its leaves in the dry season, large waxy bright red flowers emerge. These are around 10 cms across and they hang singly or in small clusters at the end of the branches. These flowers are fragrant and in days gone by, the blooms were collected once they had fallen and were used as table decoration.





The bombax fruit is a large, oblong woody capsule that splits when ripe. This allows the seeds to float out in their woolly coats.

The taproot is edible and is an example of Australian indigenous food.  Apparently, the fleshy roots of young Bombax trees can be roasted and eaten like carrots.

Hope you enjoyed this introduction to two of my favourite winter blooming native trees. They provide quite spectacular colour in the middle of our long ‘dry’ season.

My own native 'Bush Tucker' tree - Sterculia Quadrifida.

The definition of ‘bush tucker’ would be: any edible, native Australian flora and fauna that was present before European colonisation which was harvested or hunted in the bush by our country's original inhabitants ... the Aborigines.

I have a 'Bush Tucker' tree in my courtyard that is native to the eastern coastal strip from northern New South Wales to far north Queensland ... and up into Papua New Guinea.  Not only were the seeds used as food by the Aboriginal people, the bark was used to weave baskets. The inner bark of this tree was also important to them as a source of string, which was used for rope, fishing nets and fishing line. 

This tree is commonly called the 'Peanut Tree' - Sterculia quadrifida.  Not only is the 'Bush Tucker' aspect of this tree interesting, it is also one of our very rare native Winter-deciduous trees.

It grows to a height of 5 -10 metres and has a spreading canopy, dropping it's leaves during Winter and when flowering.  The leaves are dark green and broad egg-shaped or sometimes heart-shaped at the base.  Around my area of north Queensland the Peanut Tree can start to shed leaves in May ... which is the end of Autumn. Leaves will then begin to regrow after the tree has fruited ...  this is usually around August to September, which is the end of Winter into early Spring. 

Here it is in my courtyard garden ... first, when covered in leaves ... and next, when it's beginning to drop it's leaves:

The creamy-white, lemon-scented flowers of this tree are rather inconspicuous. They are borne in small clusters in the upper axils, and occur from November to January (Summer in Australia).

The most distinctive feature of this native tree is the fruit. 

The fruits are clusters of large, leathery, boat-shaped pods up to 8 cm long which, change from green to an eye-catching orangey-red at maturity. 

Stage 1 - Green pods:

Stage 2 - Changing to orangey-red:

At this stage it splits open to reveal black seeds about the size of a peanut. The seeds are edible and are supposed to taste like peanuts ... never tried them myself! ... but for those who do wish to try them, it's recommended that the seed coat or testa should be removed first.  Birds, on the other hand, enjoy them 'au natural'!

Popping open:

Seeds:

The edible seed is called ‘egng edndan’ in Uw Oykangand and Uw Olkola; ‘mayi pinta’ in Pakanh – which are the traditional languages of the Aboriginal people in central Cape York Peninsula. Their colloquial name for this tree is ‘Monkeynut Tree’.  

The pods stay open for quite some time – looking a bit like a flower and then they drop off, littering the pavers in the Courtyard Garden and making a bit of a mess!

This tree, despite being quite messy during the Autumn/early Winter, is a valuable shade tree during Summer ... when it provides lots of cover over the courtyard area ... and then during Winter, when it's deciduous, it allows lots of light onto the courtyard garden for the winter and spring flowering annuals. 

Planchonia careya - the Cocky Apple Tree.

Planchonia careya is a tree that is native to my part of Oz ... it is only found across northern Australia and the largest concentration of them is right here in my region.  It is in fact the only member of its genus here in Australia ... facts like this amaze me and I've grown to really appreciate this rather unsightly tree that's so prevalent in the bush that surrounds my home.

It is such a scraggly looking tree!  It's small  ... it only grows to around 4-10 metres high ... with rough, grey, slightly fissured bark.

The leaves are egg-shaped or spatula-shaped, tapering to the base, shiny light green above, dull beneath, and are rather soft and leathery to the touch.  This tree is deciduous in the 'dry' season and the leaves turn rusty-orange before falling.

OK ... the tree is not a great looker, but now we come to the flowers ... these are quite simply superb!

The flowering period is from late spring (September) through the summer (December to  February).  While each flower is truly outstanding, the flowering tree is really not that spectacular.  Only a few flowers are produced at a time and you have to be 'in the know' to spot them as they open in the evening and fall by the next morning leaving a carpet of flowers on the ground.

Flowers are large, white and fleshy with numerous long pink and white stamens.

In the following photo you can see the flower bud just below the open bloom ... that green outer casing peels back ...

... and the stamens are revealed!

A terrific thing about this bloom is the way it opens ...it has a spiral action as it opens.

The fruit is green, egg-shaped and smooth.  Apparently it's edible although I've never given it a go.  It was a widely used food of the Aboriginal people who populated this area ... so it earns the title of 'bush tucker'.  Inside it has yellow flesh and is supposed to taste like a quince when it's ripe.

Many parts of the plant were also used for a wide range of medicinal purposes by the Aboriginal people.  One example ... the Aborigines used a concoction made from the bark to clean wounds such as burns and ulcers.   The bark ... which contains something called Saponin ... was also used as a fish poison. It was pounded and thrown into pools of water, killing the fish which could then be eaten without any ill-effect.

The common name ... Cocky Apple ... came about because the fruit is readily eaten by cockatoos and looks a little like a green apple.  While the Cocky Apple tree is very, very common in the bushland here, you won't find this tree in any nursery ... it has never been cultivated for the nursery market.  You will have to visit my part of the world to catch a glimpse of this unusual specimen.