Tree naming -- my first lesson

To identify different eucalypts the book Eucalypts A Bushwalkers Guide by Gary Leonard says to check the species habitat, soil preference, form and bark then come to final decision by examining the leaves, buds, flowers and fruit. The book contains a useful table to understand the bark.

I will make a start with some I photographed last month.

Blue Mountains Trio - Bark 1

I know the top one is of Angaphora which is not a eucalypt but closely related, close enough to confuse me except at this time of year when it sheds bark in chunks that cluster at the base of the tree. This exposes a beautiful orange or salmon coloured tree trunk that dulls to grey as the year progresses. I should try to get a picture before they lose their colour.

For the middle one, the brilliant red sap exuding from the damaged parts caught my eye. It could be a Bloodwood.

The third I can’t tell. The tracks are from insects that bored under the bark before it fell off. By the way, that is how the scribbles are formed on the Scribbly Gum illustrated in yesterday’s post.

Words to Walk With:
From Gum Trees Stripping by Judith Wright.
“ … and see
around the living tower of tree
the hermit tatters of old bark…”