For Kathy Ellen - Kids Down Under

[AussiePam]

Kathy - as I mentioned, this was just a small group out of the 60 or so there, having fun with a basketball. All good Aussies - as the flag on the house in the next street reminded me. The leader was orignally Middle Eastern, one of the boys was Caucasion, two Asian, one black. And they made a fabulous team.

Attached files

[AussiePam]

The gum blossom is out now too. Here's some for you.

Attached files

[Kathy Ellen]

AussiePam;1278926 wrote: Kathy - as I mentioned, this was just a small group out of the 60 or so there, having fun with a basketball. All good Aussies - as the flag on the house in the next street reminded me. The leader was orignally Middle Eastern, one of the boys was Caucasion, two Asian, one black. And they made a fabulous team.


WOW Pam,



Thanks so much for posting this thread for me:-4



Ahhhhh, the wee one looks like he's having so much fun....bless him. What a wonderful experience for him to meet other chaps his own age from different cultures. He will certainly grow up to be a good man with experiences like this. His world is opening up for him for sure.



Thanks for posting the picture....I love it....

[Kathy Ellen]

AussiePam;1278927 wrote: The gum blossom is out now too. Here's some for you.




WOW Pam,



You've been talking about gum trees for years, and I never knew what kind of a tree this was.....Finally looked it up....



I didn't know that a gum tree is a Eucalyptus tree, and that they grow in California due to the Aussies...





"From Australian miners Californians would learn of the huge tree that grew easily in temperate climates with little regard to soil or water. It seemed the perfect crop for construction timber and fuel in the rapidly growing state. The tree that one day would be called “America's largest weed” was the “wonder tree” of 19th century California.



The first successful planting of eucalyptus in California probably occurred in San Francisco. W.C. Walker of the Golden Gate Nursery planted seeds from several species in 1853.

By the 1870s, a eucalyptus boom was in full swing throughout the state. The Australian native was planted on thousands of acres. “For a person who has some capital and is willing to wait for returns, there is a pretty chance to make a fortune in the growing of gum trees,” one California newspaper suggested."

Eucalyptus trees have deep roots in California's history | The San Diego Union-Tribune





Eucalyptus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Kathy Ellen]

Here's some more flowering plants from the gum tree:-6

[Kathy Ellen]

[fuzzywuzzy]

Ours aren't out yet. I do have the birds in the garden though .

Kathy we've got those purple ones out a the moment too. Unfortunetly it's considered a noxious weed here.

Kathy the pic with the bird is a wattle.

[Kathy Ellen]

Oh Pam,

Thank you for introducing this tree to me. It is officially my favorite tree. I've bumped the maple three to #2. I can't stop posting pictures of the beautiful flowers from this tree and the lovely birds that feed on this tree....What a treasure.

[AussiePam]

Ah the jacaranda.. it was a great year here for that. There's still a small amount around but bloom season ended about a month ago.

Yes gum trees are eucalypts and the first time I saw them in California, out of San Francisco, I nearly fell over. But as an exotic species they are now to be seen all over the world, where the climate allows.

D has Spanish day at the holiday program today. The kids are fixing tapas, making a restaurant, serving and eating their cooking, no doubt having bull fights and hamming up flamenco dancing. Because of exposure to Dora the Explorer, most Aussie kids now have a smattering of Spanish language too.. :sneaky: Ole!!

[fuzzywuzzy]

which town is it that has Jacarandas all over the place?

wysterias and jacarandas are two of my favourite trees

[AussiePam]

Goulburn, NSW, has jacaranda time. But I think the big festival is in Grafton.

Grafton Jacaranda Festival 2009 | Rockhampton Family Attractions | Things to do in Rockhampton | Rockhampton Morning Bulletin

[Kathy Ellen]

fuzzywuzzy;1279412 wrote: Ours aren't out yet. I do have the birds in the garden though .



Kathy we've got those purple ones out a the moment too. Unfortunetly it's considered a noxious weed here.

Kathy the pic with the bird is a wattle.




Bummer......Here's how the tree has affected North America....Unfortunately, this species hasn't grown well here.



North America

California. In the 1850s, Eucalyptus trees were introduced to California by Australians during the California Gold Rush. Much of California has a similar climate to parts of Australia. By the early 1900s, thousands of acres of eucalypts were planted with the encouragement of the state government. It was hoped that they would provide a renewable source of timber for construction, furniture making and railroad ties. It was soon found that for the latter purpose eucalyptus was particularly unsuitable, as the ties made from eucalyptus had a tendency to twist while drying, and the dried ties were so tough that it was nearly impossible to hammer rail spikes into them.

"They went on to note that the promise of eucalyptus in California was based on the old virgin forests of Australia. This was a mistake as the young trees being harvested in California could not compare in quality to the centuries-old eucalyptus timber of Australia. It reacted differently to harvest. The older trees didn't split or warp as the infant California crop did. There was a vast difference between the two, and this would doom the California eucalyptus industry."[15]

One way in which the eucalyptus, mainly the blue gum E. globulus, proved valuable in California was in providing windbreaks for highways, orange groves, and other farms in the mostly treeless central part of the state. They are also admired as shade and ornamental trees in many cities and gardens.

Eucalyptus forests in California have been criticised because they compete with native plants and do not support native animals. Fire is also a problem. The 1991 Oakland Hills firestorm which destroyed almost 3,000 homes and killed 25 people was partly fueled by large numbers of eucalypts close to the houses.[16]

In some parts of California, eucalypt forests are being removed and native trees and plants restored. Individuals have also illegally destroyed some trees and are suspected of introducing insect pests from Australia which attack the trees.[17]

Eucalyptus trees do exceptionally well in the Pacific Northwest: Washington, Oregon and parts of British Columbia.





Unfortunately this tree did not fare well here, but it is a beautiful tree filled with gorgeous flowers and birds:-4

[Kathy Ellen]

NOW Pam....I just hafta figger out you all climbed up that pecan tree to throw those pecans at unsuspecting passerbys......hmmmmm :sneaky::wah:

Ya little bugger ya.....



Is this what you had??????

[AussiePam]

Grin. I think it's part of the political correctness of the modern limpwristed everywhere, Kathy, to want to root out anything exotic. It's the same here. Some people go round chopping down oaks and stridently demanding that only Australian native plants be permitted. For myself, I like a bit of variety. And the numbers of exotics competing with locals is tiny. I heard that eucalypts didn't make that good windbreaks either, as they tend to be shallow rooted and can be blown over.

The other thing Aussie goldrush folk did for California was to establish - I have heard - the naughty Tenderloin red light district of San Francisco. Aussies being a more raunchy lot, apparently than you more Godfearing, well brought up Americans... :sneaky:

It's a while since I've shimmied up a pecan tree and pelted the world with nuts. it a few times in Oklahoma. By the way one of Arn's sisters has just died suddenly.