Eucalypt woodland recovering from fire

Fires are a frequent feature of this area (South Eastern Australia), but these trees are well-adapted to survive fire. One of the ways in which they do so is by putting out new shoots, which grow from buds lying underneath the bark. The bright colours in the new leaves are due to anthocyanin, a pigment that protects the leaves from insect predation and from sun damage. The blackened trees in the foreground are Red bloodwoods (Corymbia gummifera). The larger tree in the background is a Scribbly-gum (Eucalyptus haemastoma).

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