Autumn Abuzz

I always think that autumn should be a quiet time, a time when nature winds down from its frantic spring and summer activities and readies itself for the solitude of winter. But that doesn't seem to have happened this year. But then it didn't happen last year either.

The insect world is abuzz. European Wasps are about in plague proportions sending outdoor eateries into disarray and a new native Paper Wasp nest appeared suddenly under the neighbour's front porch eave this week, the wasps already busy raising a brood. Incidentally, the sting from this wasp, while painful, last only a short time. Immediate swabbing with vinegar is one suggestion to alleviate pain.

In the bird world, Fairy Wrens are busy on what we no longer call the lawn, dashing around among the still green weeds, frightening and capturing tiny insects. Our kitchen window is alive with Eastern Spinebills feeding on the nectar of the soft blue and white flowers of our favourite salvia, Phyllis Fancy. And of course, those ever-busy sparrows are still adding materials to the nests in the roof. Are they really going to start a family before Spring? Recently, at night, we heard plovers wheeling overhead with their plaintive cry. Hopefully they will return to nest here after an absence of four years after someone destroyed their eggs.

Fruit from a late planted fig tree is still ripening and each morning I try to get to it before the tiny Silver Eyes discover the one or two ripened fruit before me.

In the garden, a small purple buddleia davidii is having its third flowering for the season despite being heavily cut back twice. We planted two Lemon Balm plants to provide leaves for tea, which I have recently discovered is to my liking. Another new arrival, a Japanese Honeysuckle, (a proscribed weed in New South Wales) has been planted near the bedroom window at the back of the house. Sweet smells and hopefully, sweet dreams.

Whither the Weather?

But whatever we talk about and in whatever context, the same old question arises. When will we get rain? Well I've looked at the Outlook Video for April thru June from the Bureau of Meteorology and I am a little confused. 

One of the difficulties that weather forecasters face in a time of climate change is that the weather is often quite different in small patches. This is particularly noticeable when we have severe weather events that happen in just one small area and fail to even register anything in a nearby location. Recently in Maldon the weather was quiet with just a gentle breeze - nothing happening out of the ordinary – while further down the road south from Newstead all hell broke loose, with trees across the road all the way to Daylesford and to the south-east to Smeaton. Some significant trees were lost in Daylesford.

So what should we think about the weather regardless of forecasts? Like most things in life, we should expect the best but prepare for the worst. 

So what should one do? For one, stop planting water needy plants. I know I go on about using native plants a lot but they are so much worth looking at for reasons of beauty and birdlife, but in particular, their much lower water requirements. You can use plants from all over Australia. There is a huge range to choose from.

Watch your personal water use. This is not easy because our lives are really our habits and these can be quite water intensive. I know a person who spends at least ten minutes under the shower in the mornings. If challenged, this person claims to need it to wake up. They just need to think about it. Another thing many of us do is let the tap run while we wash our teeth. Again, this is not a good idea. In measurements taken of people washing teeth with the tap running, usage has shown to vary between 3 and up to 10 litres of water.

For some reason I have never quite understood, we are obsessive about cleaning our cars. We must have a clean shiny car! To me that is weird behaviour. But then I am probably a borderline slob. The auto industry makes a durable box for us to move around in and some feel duty bound to keep it looking like it just left the showroom. I've often imagined how good it would be if car duco was simply a matt-finish in unexciting colours like mustard or grey or rust red with minimum chrome, and we thought it looked beautiful au naturel, with a touch of dust or mud: where it looked as though we used it instead of worshipped it. No more polishing waxes and, best of all, less hosing and water usage. And don't tell me it is a status symbol and that we must keep up appearances, not anymore.

The real status symbols will eventually include how little carbon based fuel you burn and how much or little water you use. Old-fashioned frugal living will become the new fashion in all things, including what we eat, where we go for our holidays and the transport we use. Climate Change, whatever problems it brings, has a silver lining. If we respond in the right way, we will enjoy better health, less costly life styles and our children's children will inherit a living planet.