The Seasons of Kakadu

The dry season days of Wurrgeng begin with cool mornings. Gunmaiyorrk wind blows up lightly from the south-east during the morning and can blow until late afternoon. The trees have many songs as the wind blows through their leaves. Seasonal creeks are drying up, yet the floodplains still have lots of water. The flowering waterlilies across the floodplains are visited by many birds, insects and even people.

Gowarrang, the echidna, is a shy animal who hides away in caves and rocks. If you are out at night, you might see him hunting for ants and termites, often amongst the spinifex grass.

Ngyangma, the quoll, lives in the forest. The mother may be seen carrying three or more babies on her back, as she hunts in the night for insects or skinks or nesting birds.

Gumugen, the freshwater crocodile, lays her eggs on a sandy bank near the creek,. The eggs will incubate in the warm sand before hatching.

Gardab, the orb spider, spins a beautiful golden web. She is a large spider who lives in the jungle. When you go near her web, she bounces gently, warning you to tree with care. She is a sort of guardian of the forest.

The blue quandong, yirrlalal, is a magic lantern tree covered with translucent blue fruits that taste starchy and tangy.

Andjandjek, the grevillea, has large orange flowers that hang like a coral garden and drip with rich honey nectar attracting birds, bees and people.

Anrebel, the stringybark eucalypt, only flowers during Wurrgeng. This nectar adds to the feast for the many birds visiting these trees.

Andjed, the kapok trees are small and spread widely across the woodlands and rock country. Around the month of June, they lose their leaves and stand brightly clothed with large yellow flowers.

Angindjek and garrbada are two yams. Their roots are ready to dig now. Angindjek is easy to dig, but needs to be prepared the proper way, washing away the "cheekiness" before it can be eaten. Garrbada takes time to dig, but it can be roasted or boiled without any special preparation. These yams are eaten in the same way as rice pasta and bread.

At night out on the floodplain, you can hear gordol, the grass owls, calling. They are out to catch murlbu, the dusky rats.

Gaarwol, friar birds, are busy gathering nectar from the flowering eucalypt trees. Their calls are loud and they sound so happy as they chatter in the bush.

The male djuwe, bower bird is decorating his bower with collected treasures from the bush. He is busy attracting a female to his home.

Garragan, the brown falcon, is keenly following the smoke to catch lizards and other animals running from the flames. This bird is known to Gundjeihmi-speaking people as "fire carrier" - the bird that carries burning sticks to start more fires.

This is the time of dazzling blue skies, and cool, crystal-clear nights, full of bright stars.