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The textures found on the surface of tree trunks can be artistically interesting as well as a means of identifying the tree by the pattern of its "skin".
Many current field guides to trees, particularly the photographic variety, will show not only the leaf shape and color, bud pattern, and habit (which is the form in which the tree grows), but now often show a typical patch of bark to more easily identify it. The variation can be infinite, but the basic elements of the bark pattern remain the same for a given species. |
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| Most temperate climate trees accumulate bark with age, but exceptions, such as Eucalyptus shed their bark and keep the leaves! |
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Eucalyptus bark provides many satisfactory photographic compositions for several reasons. First, the ranges of colors on individual trees of many species is astounding. The pattern of colors is produced when an outer bark patch is shed, revealing a different color of young bark beneath it. As this bark ages, it may change to other colors. The Silver Mountain Gum, left, reveals bright burnt sienna bark, that lightens as it ages until it is shed again. Between this bark pattern and its peculiar rounded bluish young leaves, it can be a picturesque addition to the landscaping. |
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'Bark of the Silver Mountain Gum, Euc. pulverulenta |
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