Declaration of Autumn

[aquaeri]

Since these events have been noted recently: that I want to wear footwear other than sandals; that jeans are bearable to wear again; that ceiling fans have been turned off; that polar fleece dressing gowns are again in evidence; that rain is actually cool, rather than steambath conditions; that I actually need moisturiser; that the doona is needed

Comments

[eub]

Hey, the first one, is that one of these?
http://eub.livejournal.com/199596.html

[aquaeri]

It's definitely a Koelreuteria. Your seedpod's a bit too leathery-looking, and has those folds, I've never seen them. Our pods are quite delicate, and each section is very close to circular, and there's always three of them. Koelreuteria formosa looks like a very good match, and grows in the right part of Australia.

[eub]

Definite section count mismatch, yeah; for the ones I had I don't think I ever had a candidate species that was supposed to have n=4 or 5.

[aquaeri]

Mutant!

[corivax]

Do you know wha kind of trees they are? Are they native?

[aquaeri]

I didn't know until now :-).

With eub's help, I believe the first are Koelreuteria formosa, Chinese Rain Tree, a native of Taiwan, apparently with weed potential.
The second is Peltophorum pterocarpum, the Copperpod, and it's apparently a native of tropical Australasia.

Many of the trees I think of as out-and-out natives are more opportunists, that flower when the weather's good (eg rain). But I notice that the tree I call "New Year's Fireworks" (Buckinghamia celsissima) is a native.

[eub]

(pleonastic's help at the root, really.)

Re: Declaration of Autumn

[pir_anha]

oh. how gorgeous they are.

that reminds me, i still have two strange seedpods from california that i need to identify and take pictures of to show, because they are so cool.

this difference between the seasons in the two hemisphere's is something i intellectually understand, but the reality of it always thumps me on the nose.

Re: Declaration of Autumn

[aquaeri]

Because I grew up in the northern hemisphere, completely taking Christmas/New Year = cold and dark for granted (for example), but have now lived here long enough to feel comfortable with the seasons as they are here, I'm probably more aware of the two possibilities on a gut level than most.

And I thought, since so many of my internet friends are northern, that it might be nice to give y'all a sense of what it's like for me to be looking at all your melting snow and pollination photos :-). The biggest problem is that midwinter will be very hard to get to look cold. I will have to get up really early and go down and get some "fog on the river" photos or something.

[lakrids404]

Winter in summer
Hot rain is changed to cold
Normal is strange

:)

[aquaeri]

Sometimes I think it's more fun to be an ex-Dane living here, amazed at having palm trees, able to grow every "stueplante" outside, than a local who just thinks it's normal.