I was waiting for the last Autumn leaves to fall from my ornamental grapevine before pruning it, as I have always done.
But this crazily warm Winter weather has confused the vine into sending forth new Spring growth shoots of leaves and flowers.
All along its length the bright green new leaves have lost patience with the old brown clingers, saying ‘Don’t you know it’s Spring?’
Only it’s not.
I check in the yard: the Mulberry tree, properly wintry bare two days ago, has lost the plot too. Good luck, I think.
The small Native Finger Lime tree is covered in tiny buds and blossoms, but this is the right time for it.
Will there be ‘right times’ ahead for deciduous plants to awake?
How would they know to stay asleep until after the last frosts of winter?
When people in T-shirts at mid-day in mid-winter’s July say ‘What a lovely day!’, I can’t agree.
‘Actually, no, I find it scary that’s it’s so warm.’
Because this is wrong, out-of-kilter; I’m a human who can put clothes on or off, buy food out of season.
Plants and insects and birds and animals are inter-dependent; species are being thrown into not just confusion, but extinction.
Now, on 1st August, I read that:
‘Tinder-dry conditions in NSW have forced the Rural Fire Service to bring forward its bushfire danger period for parts of the state’s east coast and Northern Tablelands.
Twelve areas — Armidale, Bega Valley, Eurobodalla, Glen Innes Severn, Inverell, Kempsey, Mid Coast, Nambucca, Port Macquarie Hastings, Tenterfield, Uralla and Walcha — will all start their bushfire danger period from August 1, the RFS announced on Thursday.’Traditionally, the official start to the danger period is October 1.’
Mid Coast: that’s me. Yep, scary.