The flowers aren't the only thing that will catch your eye at Floriade this year.
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There's a four-metre duck on the Kangaroo Pond.
The inflatable mother duck has taken up residence to raise awareness for the Yellow Van, the city's sole food rescue service.
She will be joined by 10,000 ducklings on Go Yellow Day (Sunday, October 13) which, it is hoped, will raise $50,000 for the service.
Communities@Work communications and fund-raising director Chris Barry said the idea for the 2.5-metre wide duck came from one spotted on Sydney Harbour last summer parading as public art.
''We had a couple of brainstorming sessions, and obviously the theme for the van is yellow, ducks are yellow, and there's plenty of water at Floriade, and we saw that duck at Sydney Harbour.
''We thought that would get people asking, 'What is the duck doing out there?'
''Go Yellow Day is on the last day of Floriade, and what we're hoping is for the whole town to go yellow.
''All the staff at Floriade will be in yellow, we're encouraging all the vendors, and the Telstra Tower will be in yellow light.''
Mr Barry said the Yellow Van had saved more than 2.5 million meals from the scrap-heap since it began five years ago, but was one of the Communities@Work projects which receives no government funding.
''So we have to raise that all, it's about half a million dollars a year to keep the three vans on the road - most of that is on maintenance, petrol and a casual driver,'' he said.
The service delivers fresh food to 100 charities and refuges supporting vulnerable and disadvantaged people throughout Canberra.
Each duckling is on sale for $5, and on Go Yellow Day three ducks will be chosen from the pond. The owner of the first duck selected wins $6000, with $3000 and a $1000 painting for the second and third.
Deputy Chief Minister Andrew Barr, who unveiled the duck on Friday, said during this year's Floriade the Yellow Van would offer a range of awareness activities about food wastage and sustainability.
There will be cooking demonstrations by acclaimed local chefs, ''fruity figures'' fruit carving for children, and workshops on how to cook healthy meals using rescued ingredients.