Bunuru is living up to its name this year, ‘coz it has been HOT!
Also known as the second summer or the season of adolescence, Bunuru generally falls over the February-March calendar period and is the warmest time of the seasonal cycle in Nyungar boodja (country), with little to no rain. the
Bunuru is also a time of the white flowers, with lots of white flowering gums in full bloom, including jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) marri (Corymbia calophylla) and the tuart (Eucalyptus gomphocephala). Nectar feeding birds, insects and mammals just love the marri blossom in particular, with masses of creamy-white deliciousness.
Speaking of our local critters….while this has always been a very hot time for Nyungar boodja, the extended periods of 30 degree plus days we are seeing at the moment, with very little respite, are taking their toll on our native wildlife.
If you want to lend a hand to native insects, birds and animals, putting out additional water in your garden is one of the best and easiest ways to take action. The dishes don’t have to be fancy, but make sure they aren’t too deep and you’ve given smaller creatures like lizards a means of getting out if they fall in, like a rock or stick on an angle.
Or you can donate to your local wildlife care group – like we did earlier this year – to assist with them treatment of burnt feet, orphaned babies, and severe dehydration in the newly emerged juveniles (it’s the season of adolescence after all) and adults.
Also, if your garden plants and lawn are struggling and you feel like all you’re doing is watering, perhaps it’s time to go completely native, or create a native verge garden!
We have and it’s made such a positive impact on the microclimate in our yard, making it much cooler. And of course, it increases native habitat for our local critters as we live in a pretty urbanised area of Busso. We’ve been observing things and it’s definitely led to an increase in native species activity.
Don’t know where to start? That’s OK. There’s heaps of information and assistance available from local government and community groups across Nyungar boodja to help you go about it. If you live in Busselton like we do, there’s Geocatch, FAWNA, City of Busselton and Geographe Community Landcare Nursery, just to name a few. You can also check out larger organisations like the Water Corporation.
It’s really satisfying and empowering to be able to make a direct impact for the better, in the face of so much negative news that’s often way beyond our individual control!
