Thelma Dixon - Bush native flowers that tell bush tucker is ready

Catalogue Number: 26/108

This is a painting about the tiny native flowers that grow in the desert after the rain in Central Australia. The seeds lie on the ground for many months waiting for the rain. After the rain little patches of colour appear. Soon after the flowers appear, tiny fruits start to grow on the bush tomato and bush berry plants. This is the sign for local women living in remote communities that it is nearly time to go out and collect the bush tucker.

Finding the bush tucker and knowing when it is ready to eat is knowledge passed down through generations of the people living on the land.