Not bubble gum, spearmint or peppermint, though I do believe there is a peppermint gum – I am talking here about Eucalypts. Last weekend I went to a Gum Fest, in the botanical gardens in Brisbane and what a treat that was. From cultivating them, identifying them, walking amongst them, dyeing fabrics and paper with their leaves, tasting the different tasting honeys the trees help the stingless bees produce, to learning Indigenous stories about them and the secrets of Scribbly gums as well as craft activities for kids and eco sculptures that day had it all – once more I take my hat off to Brisbane City Council. These events are FREE for anyone who is interested.

Here are some highlights. Some expressive leaf art.

Koalas have a diet almost exclusively of eucalypt leaves but they are fussy about which ones they eat so it is hugely important to plant the ones they like.

A mere 800 species or more of Eucalypts – even after 10 years of living here I still struggle to identify more than a handful – and these are just the trunks and stems. I am looking forward to seeing rainbow gums, snow gums and even a platypus gum. Ghost gums are spectacular !

There is a competition on for the https://www.eucalyptaustralia.org.au/eucalyptoftheyear/

Eucalypt of the Year

There is so much to explore not least their ability to find gold.They discovered that eucalyptus trees in the Kalgoorlie region of Western Australia draw up gold particles from the earth via their root system and deposit it in their leaves and branches. It makes a gold diggers work just that bit easier!