Dean M. Chriss
Photography
Australian Tree Trunk Photo No. 4, "Gulls
and Sea Shore"
(Click image to enlarge)
I always find the trunks of eucalyptus trees interesting because they are so different
from those I usually see in the the United States. I decided to photograph
a few of the trunks up close as abstracts. This is the fourth in the
series.
This tree is one of about 800 different species within the genus Eucalyptus
that are found in Australia. This photograph was captured in a vertical
format and then turned on its side to resemble a landscape painting. Bark
falling away from the trunk is seen at the bottom of the photograph, forming
the "sea shore", and divots in the off-white newer bark form the "gulls". I
first thought the divots were made by birds but later realized they were
made by the claws of koalas climbing the tree.
This particular tree was found near a trail in Victoria's Great Otway
National Park. The bark of all eucalyptus trees dies
each year and eventually falls away. In smooth bark types the bark comes off
in flakes, curls, or long strips, as is the case here. In rough bark types it accumulates in
entwined, stringy masses.