DAY 18 (23 APR) – Blue gum tree (Eucalyptus globulus) (Vejer de la Frontera, Spain)
Possibly my favourite tree.
There’s an avenue of eucalyptus close to my sister-in-law’s house in South Africa, and another on the winding mountain road up to Vejer. They make me think of dry heat and the song of crickets. I love the sound of their leaves blowing in the strong winds here. Not to mention their beautiful, painterly bark that reflects the sun.
There are two to three million acres of eucalyptus forests in Iberia, mostly planted post-war to replace old oak forests. Mature trees produce a new layer of bark each year.
And I just found out the Blue Mountains in Australia are named after the blue mist that shrouds the eucalyptus forests on warm days.
