Constant change

Every place in nature has its own rhythm and cycles that it flows through as the earth spins on its orbit around the sun. Whether it be a woodland, coastline, waterway or grassland, each interdependent species reacts to the changing light and day/night lengths as they have done and adapted to over thousands of years.

Nature is in constant change but there are patterns to the seasons that you can observe and acknowledge with gratitude and awareness. Shown below are two ways of viewing the seasons. One is the traditional European system with Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter which have been applied to Australian conditions without observations and understandings of the different seasons. The second is a First Nations Approach which is a more harmonious relationship to the land. The image below is based on Melbourne's seasons from Alan Reids calendar. Source: Banksias and Bilbies, 1995.

Activity: Tuning into the seasons
You can tune into the seasons of your area by observing what's happening in nature around you.

Daily
You can observe the daily pattern of day and night, high and low tide and the activities of the species you are focussed on.

Monthly
You can notice the monthly patterns of the lunar cycle and observe if the moon influences patterns and behaviours. Notice the weather changes over a month with how many low and high pressure systems influence your area. How do these cycles affect your area and species within it?

Yearly
You can create your own seasonal nature calendar over a full year for your area and then compare the next year. What is changing and what is staying the same? Is there more of a species one year then less the next? What time do some plants flower? When do some birds migrate? Are there connections between the changes you are observing? 

The key thing is to notice what's happening and changing in nature and know that you are part of it all.