Wonders of Nature Australia I- The Exotic Eucalyptus

Hold on, don't close this tab! I know the heading doesn't sound that appealing, but I really wanted to write a mini series of the natural wonders of Australia, concentrating on flora and fauna that can't be found or are rare elsewhere in the world. I will also try to produce some photos so that this is not going to end up being a lecture-like, dry entity full of Latin names. Think about it like this: what isn't great and unique on this island that has been able to develop in relative seclusion until the late 18th century?

When I decided to go to Australia, one of the things I was most interested in was the unique nature. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a real nature person, I don't enjoy that much going hiking or camping or going for a walk in the forest etc. Even in Finland where the nature is very tame it makes me feel a bit anxious. But the nice thing is that nature is everywhere around us, not only along the strenuous hiking tracks or isolated camping sites. Nature is outside the front door and the nature here is very different from anything I have seen or experienced before.

In Australia everything feels larger. The trees are like giants, and so are the insects- unfortunately. Animals and plants look totally different from their European cousins. The best thing here is that most of the cities, even the small ones, tend to have a national park or other kind of recreational area where everyone can go to relax and connect with the nature without having to travel for hours. I read in a brochure on Australian gardens that the first European settlers did not take a fancy to Australian vegetation. They preferred to re-create their English gardens in the new homeland of theirs. Nowadays the story has changed and the native plants are more appreciated. When Australians describe their gardens and their surroundings, they always remember to point out that this and that plan is native to the area.

In addition to Australian gardens, the forests also differ from the European forests, at least from the boreal forest or taiga, the dominant forest type in the Nordic countries. Maybe not surprisingly, eucalyptus is the dominant species of tree all over Australia. In addition to eucalyptus trees, paperbark trees are common at least in in the east coast of Australia. They are funny things, the papery bark is always peeling off so they look almost decayed and suffering. Well anyway, eucalyptus is the most typical tree in Australia and there are around 700 different species that can be found in different parts of the country. Indeed eucalyptus shows good adaptability skills, being able to flourish in every climate type found in Australia. So let's talk some more about these magnificent trees.

Eucalyptuses are an interesting genus. Some species of eucalyptuses are called gum trees because they exude copious kino if their bark is broken. One of the most well-known species of gum tree is the blue gum tree, also known by the name "fever tree" because of its association with malaria affected areas where these trees are cultivated to drain swamps in order to reduce the risk of malaria. The roots of an eucalyptus tree reach deep down in the soil and lift the water up to the leaves. And then the water evaporates. How cool is that?

Eucalyptus has many useful traits, such as being a fast-growing species, making it an object of interest for many fields of science. Especially the paper industry is interested in using eucalyptus trees as a source of cellulose. Eucalyptus oil is another amazing product. The medical industry uses it for its antiseptic and relaxing effect. The oil also acts as a natural insecticide. As an interesting trivia we can also add that the Blue Mountains in Australia got their name because of the vaporized chemicals of the eucalyptus trees. Especially on a warm day those organic compounds form a haze that hangs above the forests.

Of course there are other plants in Australia but I just wanted to tell you more about these trees that are native to only Australia and some parts of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. There is also one species that made it as far north as Philippines but in general the eucalyptuses do not grow in colder climates due to their intolerance of frost. (I can fully understand this.) Cultivated eucalyptus trees can be found for example in South America where they were introduced to produce raw material for the paper industry. The concern is that eucalyptuses might be invasive and thus contribute to loss of biodiversity by displacing native trees.

And finally a hint for those of you who would like to try their hand at gold mining. Eucalyptus leaves sometimes contain gold particles that are presumably transported  by the deep-reaching roots from the depths of the earth. So, inspecting eucalyptus leaves might lead one to a rich ore deposit. :)