The ebb and flow of nature in the Top End is largely dictated by the annual monsoon period which has been cycling for around 8000 years.
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For many Top End residents the sight of dragonflies heralds the end of the wet and start of the busy dry season.
Charles Darwin University is calling on keen photographers across the region to help prove this myth.
CDU Environment professor Jenny Davis said there was a lot of interest in dragonflies.
“Top Enders will tell you that the appearance of flocks of dragonflies heralds the end of the wet season, however, we have no scientific data to support this theory,” Professor Davis said.
“The dragonfly and damselfly photo competition and citizen science project is a way of giving the community an opportunity to help by collecting some data to inform this issue.”
People would need to record the location and date as they captured the photo.
“Anyone with a camera or smart device can participate in the project,” Professor Davis said.
“At the end of the project we will produce a timeline showing the numbers of dragonflies and damselflies recorded every day that will help us understand how dragonfly numbers change from the wet season to the dry season,” she said.
While the rest of Australia sees four seasons roll through each year, Aboriginal people believe the Top End has six seasons.
For Indigenous people seasons are characterized by a myriad of things from which plants or fruits are flowering, which animals are having offspring, and what the spear grass looks like.
Gudjewg – monsoon season
December to March
Electrifying storms, heavy downpours, vast flooding and vivd green landscapes. Gudjewg is the height of the wet season.
Spear grass grows more than two metres high and locals are out mowing their lawns on almost a daily basis.
Banggarreng- “knock-em down” storm season
Late March to April
Fierce windy storms roll around and flatten out the spear grass.
Most plants are fruiting and animals are caring for their young.
Floodwaters begin to recede and streams start to run clear.
Yegge – cooling down period
Late April to early June
Relatively cool period with some humidity still hanging in the air. You will be treated to low-hanging early morning mists and wetlands covered in blooming water lilies.
Drying winds and flowering ‘Darwin woolly butt’ signify time to start burning the woodlands in patches to 'clean the country' and encourage new growth for grazing animals.
Wurrgeng- cold weather time
Early June to mid August
This is the closest the tropical Top End will get to a winter, day temperatures sit around 30˚C and night around 17˚.
Creeks and floodplains dry out and waterfalls stop flowing.
Magpie geese, fat and heavy after weeks of abundant food, and a myriad of other waterbirds crowd the shrinking billabongs.
Gurrung- Hot and dry season
Mid August to early October.
The cool breezes of winter are over and the heat returns. Temperatures sit between 23-37°C.
This is the season where many Aboriginal people hunt for snakes and long-neck turtles.
White-breasted wood swallows arrive as thunderclouds build, signalling the return of Gunumeleng.
Gunumeleng- Humidity sets in
Early October to late December
Thunderstorms and scattered showers begin again, turning the land slightly green.
Waterbirds disperse as water and new growth becomes more widespread.
The pre-monsoon season is a burst of rapid growth, energy production which results in nutrient storage for all life forms.
It is the transition from Gurung to Gudjeug. Ripening of the little green plums called Anduwitjmi tells us the pre-monsoon is starting.
The Dragonflies and the Dry Citizen Science Project will run from mid-March to mid-July with a monthly prize for the best photo worth $500. There is also a $250 random draw prize each month.