While eucalyptus trees and gums are synonymous to many people, the “gums” in this context are the white-trunked eucalypts, often broadly known as white gums.

The majority of these trees have most of their trunks and all of their branches white.

With the recent declaration of the former Canadian Forest as Woowookarung Regional Park, extra interest is being shown in the new park’s plants.

There are 10 indigenous eucalyptus species listed including four gums: the swamp gum, manna gum, candlebark and Yarra gum.

A drive through Woowookarung will reveal surprisingly few white-trunked eucalypts. Most of the trees are stringybarks, peppermints and scent-barks – six species in all, none of which have white trunks or white large branches. There is a certain sameness about much of the forest.

Until last weekend, examples of all except one of the 10 eucalyptus species on the Woowookarung list had been recently found. The missing one was the manna gum. Why had it eluded us? Did it still exist within the park’s boundaries? Had it been listed by mistake?

Checking some maps, the western side of the park seemed the most likely spot for manna gums. The gullies there are larger and possibly deeper, before they empty into the Canadian Creek.

Just a few manna gums were eventually located hidden in the south of the park, along one of the deepest gullies. White upper trunks and branches with hanging “ribbons” of bark distinguished them from other trees, with the identity confirmed by the rounded fruits (gumnuts) in groups of three. Fortunately – because even the lowest branches were far out of reach - these were found on a fallen branch.

While scarce in Woowookarung, the manna gum is common not far away, where it grows mostly on deeper soils. Brown Hill, Gong Gong, Warrenheip and Buninyong are typical locations.   

Today’s photo shows some tall manna gums along the Yarrowee River at Brown Hill. The tree in the foreground has the distinctive hanging ribbons of bark.

A small dark-coloured frog known as the southern toadlet is not well-known, but is quite common locally.

Its call is its giveaway, heard in many places at this time of year.

This is a slightly extended grating “cree-eek”, different from the sharper, oft-repeated click that is commonly made later in the year by the common froglet.

The little frog has a surprisingly colourful patterned belly featuring orange, black and white.

It is a ground-dwelling frog that walks rather than hops.