Scribbly-gum tree recovering from fire

This Scribbly-gum tree is starting to recover from a fire by putting out epicormic shoots. These shoots grow from buds lying underneath the bark. The bright red/orange/purple colours in the new leaves are due to anthocyanin, a pigment that protects the leaves from insect predation and from sun damage.

The 'scribbles' on the bark of these trees are made by the larvae of tiny moths, which burrow under the bark. Like many eucalypts, scribbly-gums lose their old bark each year, and when they do so the trails of the larvae can be seen.

Photographed in the Royal National Park, New South Wales, Australia.