Jacarandas, an Aussie Hanami

November is meant to be jacaranda season in Sydney, but I always associate jacarandas with October. From mid-October, I watch out for them to bloom, but they always manage to take me by surprise.

This is the first jacaranda blossom I noticed, fallen on 15 October 2019.

Hanami is a Japanese word meaning flower viewing, although the Japanese tradition involves the celebration of cherry blossoms with picnics and festivals.

In Japan the cherry blossom front moves from south to north. In Australia the jacaranda blossom front moves in the opposite direction from Queensland to Victoria.

For a long time I thought jacarandas were Australian natives and I was surprised to learn they’re South American imports from Brazil. They thrive well in Australia’s dry conditions by shedding their leaves and conserving water loss.

This year I decided to I do my own mini version of a hanami flower viewing, substituting jacarandas for cherry blossoms.

My place is surrounded by jacarandas, but it took ages for me to see them in bloom. In spite of my vigilance, they took me by surprise too. And even now, I still can’t quite believe they’re not Australian.

I'd been thinking about bogong moths too and how I used to see quite a lot of them in the city at this time of year, and how I hadn’t noticed any there for years. They seemed to gravitate to the grey slate caverns of stairs leading underground. I didn’t know at the time, but these city invasions were accidental, caused by powerful spring winds.

In spring, bogongs migrate south or east and in autumn they migrate to the high country to breed.

Fewer have been appearing due to droughts and climate change, although it’s hoped that 2 billion will eventually arrive in the high country this year.

This is a moth that landed on one of my windows recently. I’m not sure if it’s a bogong, but I like to think it is, and that it’s a sign that the rest of the bogongs are on their way.