An outstanding river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) currently* growing in the east parklands of Adelaide, South Australia. It is 6.60 metres in trunk girth at chest height, 27 m tall, and having an average canopy spread of 27.5 m. I'd estimate it to be between 150 and 300 years old.

The finest specimen of a kurrajong (Brachychiton populneus) that I've ever seen! On Chudleigh Park Station in the central north of Queensland. The deeply 3-lobed leaves suggest this is the northern subspecies, B. populneus subsp. trilobus.

A 505 mm x 170 mm leaf from a Eucalyptus ptychocarpa tree planted in Malanda, FNQ. Some of the buds on this tree appeared engorged by insect larvae. I'm wondering if they are fig wasp larvae that erroneously picked a euc instead of a fig - Can any entomologists out there provide any insight?

Hot off the press! - The second edition of 'Native Eucalypts of South Australia'. For more info and to order direct from me: www.dn.com.au/Eucalypts_of... The book includes all 102 eucalypt species & subspecies native to South Australia. Proudly printed in Adelaide and bound in Melbourne.

A row of 30-yr-old Eucalyptus dawsonii at Currency Creek Arboretum, with symptoms of 'ginger syndrome' caused by ongoing drought stress. The 3rd photo is the same row of trees in 2019, before the record dry conditions here. Note their pale-coloured trunks, typical of healthy trees of the species.

You gotta love a lerp! Lerps are the intricate protective cover secreted by tiny insects called psyllids. They are often maligned as ‘pests’ when they are actually a really important part of an area’s biodiversity. This one was found on a planted Eucalyptus botryoides in St Kilda, Victoria.

It would have cost this farmer over $2.2M to legally clear this remnant woodland (assuming the clearing was approved), so he did it illegally and copped an $84K fine. How can this do anything but encourage more profit-driven landowners to do the same?

'Preferred profit … over the environment': Farm owner fined for clearing 112 hectares of bushland

The owner of a farm in South Australia's south-east is convicted and fined for clearing 112 hectares of bushland, but the penalty is much less than the $2.2 million he would have had to pay for a permit for the work.

abc.net.au

That wraps up another rewarding open weekend at the arboretum, with nearly 400 visitors of all ages joining us amongst the eucalypts. Thanks for everyone who joined us! We'll do it all again on 12 & 13 Sept 2026, when hopefully everything is looking a bit greener and lots more is in flower.

Setting up for the open days this weekend (Sat 28 & Sun 29 March 2026). We have some new posters and signs on about 100 of the >800 eucalypt species growing here. Open both days 9am to 4:30pm and tours with me start at 10am & 2pm. Hope some of you can make it along! www.dn.com.au/Currency_Cre...

In the field at Currency Creek Arboretum sampling eucalypt leaves with researchers from the School of Agriculture, Food & Ecosystem Sciences at the Uni of Melbourne. We got to test the new pole pruner to sample the taller trees - reaches to about 9 m!

A large sugar gum (Eucalyptus cladocalyx) in the parklands of Adelaide, between the tee and target on a disc golf 'hole'. The trunk facing the tee is heavily marked by frisbee impacts, but there's no long-term damage to the tree. It's a great example of trees and recreation/sport coexisting. 1/2

Less than 3 weeks to go until our biannual open days at Currency Creek Arboretum in SA! See the most diverse collection of living eucalypts in the world and learn all about them at one of the free guided tours on the day. Sat 28 & Sun 29 March 2026. Details: www.dn.com.au/Currency_Cre...

This video at our arboretum water trough in February (ignore the date stamp) shows how crowded it gets on a hot day during record dry conditions. New Holland, white-plumed, brown-headed and black-chinned (centre of frame) honeyeaters, little wattlebirds and willie wagtails.

Last weekend's rain was forecast to break records in SA and Vic, and although it did in some areas, we only recorded 23 mm at Currency Creek Arboretum. Lucked out this time!

A fascinating two days with the dedicated crew of Gardening Australia, filming two segments with the wonderful Sophie Thomson. One will focus on the impacts of climate change at Currency Creek Arboretum, the other will highlight our backyard pool-to-pond conversion. Both will air later in the year.

I know it's only a prediction based on modelling, but it's difficult not to get excited about the massive rainfall event forecast through drought-stricken parts of SA and Vic over the next week. 50+ mm would be a literal life-saver for so many species at the arboretum.

Whilst much of Australia floods, rainfall in parts of southern SA and Vic is still 'lowest on record' over the last 2 years. And haven't had a drop of rain since November at the arboretum. reg.bom.gov.au/climate/maps...

The arboretum reached 'peak eucalypt diversity' in early 2024, when we had 95% of all euc species growing (820 of the 840 known species). Since then, we've lost 50 to 100 species due to 'drought'. With runaway anthropogenic climate change, we're unlikely to ever reach those Feb 2024 numbers again.

Another drier than average year, after last year's rainfall being the lowest on record for parts of SA. And now, just to top it off, we're going for the driest summer on record... www.weatherzone.com.au/news/after-b...

After bone-dry January, Adelaide faces low summer rainfall record

Adelaide has had no rainfall to date in January 2026 after just 2.8mm in December and faces a record dry summer.

weatherzone.com.au

Variole paropsine beetle larvae chewing a few leaves on a Eucalyptus mckieana sapling at Currency Creek Arboretum. Pretty cool critters at this life-stage, but I'm hoping to see them as adult beetles, when they become much more endearing! See: www.inaturalist.org/taxa/746677-...

New article on 'Hybridisation and Species Boundary in Eucalypts'. It focuses on 1) Phantom hybrids & 2) The Eucalyptus globulus species complex. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... Photos are of 'The Mallacoota Gum', a phantom hybrid of E. cypellocarpa and E. pseudoglobulus.

The 'Forest Lodge Tree', an impressively tall river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) in the upper Glenelg River catchment in the heart of Gariwerd / The Grampians. I laser-measured this tree at 48 m tall, 7.3 m in trunk girth at chest height, and 26 m in average canopy diameter.

The 'Faraway Tree' at Moot Yang Gunya Swamp in Mundulla (south-west of Bordertown) in South Australia. I measured this massive river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) last week at 8.77 metres in trunk girth at chest height, 41 m tall, and 31 metres in average canopy spread.

Any South Aussies looking for real-time Fire Behaviour Index data on a map? This page is great for ugly days like today: sapaging.com/ffdi_map You can also click on any ‘spot’ to get current & recent FBI, temps, wind gusts, humidity etc.

SApaging.com Forest Fire Behaviour Index (FBI) map for South Australia. Fire Danger Rating

South Australian CFS,MFS,SES,SAAS,MEDStar paging feeds

sapaging.com

A outstanding specimen of Eucalyptus woodwardii (lemon-flowered gum) growing in the wild. It's one of 173 types of eucalypts that occur naturally in the WA goldfields, and one of 46 species that occur naturally nowhere else in the world. More info: www.dn.com.au/Eucalypts_of...

After decades of research, our new book on the eucalypts of WA's goldfields has finally arrived! Designed, compiled and printed in Australia. Looking forward to hearing what everyone thinks of this one. For more information, sample pages and to order: www.dn.com.au/Eucalypts_of...

𝐄𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐩𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚 - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐬 Malcolm French and I are delighted to introduce our newest book, to be released next week! It includes all 173 different eucalypts from the WA goldfields, including many iconic species (gimlets, salmon gum, coral gum, the 'minniritchi' mallees, etc).

A story on our backyard swimming pool-to-pond conversion: au.news.yahoo.com/couples-fant...

Couple's 'fantastic' backyard pool transformation inspires Aussies

Many Aussies are now wondering if they can achieve the same 'sensational' results at their home. Find out more.

au.news.yahoo.com

The new BOM site is a shemozzle. Dumbed-down information and impossible to find actual weather data. A massive step backwards for such an important service.

Currency Creek Arboretum open days for 2026 are now scheduled! The world's most diverse collection of eucalypts is only open to the public twice a year, at our biannual open days. Details here: www.dn.com.au/Currency_Cre...