There’s no doubt that the vineyards in the Coal River Valley are a sure sign that the season is changing. The landscape is covered in patchwork blankets of bright red,
orange, and yellow. The days are becoming noticeably shorter, too, and it’s now dark in the mornings when my alarm goes off. There’s a slight chill in the morning air,
which requires me to wear my jacket for the first time in ages.

At Aquila, it is not the vineyards but the end of the bloom of the Kangaroo Paw flowers that signifies the end of summer. They are one of my favourites. Their longevity throughout the spring and summer is matched by no other… except perhaps the Billy Buttons. They, too, seem never to cease blooming. Their pretty, yellowy balls of loveliness last and last. They make a tremendous vase of everlasting, dried flower happiness when picked at precisely the right time. I have spent the last few days cutting down the long stems of finished Kangaroo Paw
flowers. It’s a massive job that requires cutting them right down at the base, and there are piles and piles of them! This job made me think of the beautiful little Eastern Spinebills that love probing the tubular Kangaroo Paw flowers with their long, curved beaks. As the summer went on, they seemed to get more and more used to my presence. I’d stand quietly with my camera and watch them through the lens. They’d flitter around from stem to stem, seemingly enjoying their nectar meal. I hope that the summertime guests of Eco-pod Kangaroo Paw enjoyed watching them, too!

Eco-pod Kangaroo Paw looks different now without the tall swaths of yellow, red, and orange flowers adorning its entrance. However, I love the changing of the seasons
and the gardens’ vicissitudes. I look forward to the first new Kangaroo Paw flower shoots in September and the return of my little honeyeater friends. For now, though,
the plants can rest as the days become shorter and the soil colder.

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