For a couple of weeks now the flowering gums planted as street trees many years ago have been blooming. Their spectacular floral display usually lasts only a month or so and the flowers attract numerous birds and insects, which feed on its generous nectar supply. I often direct my walks just so as to enjoy the spectacle.
Though it is commonly called 'red flowering gum', the flowers can be white, pink, orange or brightest crimson. It is not even a gum but a bloodwood. Once labelled Eucalyptus ficifolia, DNA analysis led to the tree being reclassified as Corymbia ficiflolia, closely related (and very similar in appearance) to Corymbia calophylla. Ficifolia has darker bark and longer leaves than calophylla. While calophylla's buds are green, ficifolia's can be pink, red or green. Even experts have difficulty identifying the two as they readily crossbreed.
The red and crimson flowers might make the most eye-catching display, but one watermelon-pink tree in a street near me has to be the prettiest in town. It is high enough that I can see it from my living room and it creates a lovely background in many of my garden pictures. Seen against a summer-blue sky, it is guaranteed to bring an appreciative smile. One day recently I was walking past enjoying the sight when a sulphur-crested cockatoo flew across the sky above the tree, its white feathers and yellow crest gleaming in the sun. Darn, no camera ready that day.
It's the little things that make life big.
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