Tree of many colors Dec 20, 2019

Tree of many colors

Hold the tinsel—the rainbow eucalyptus tree doesn"t need decorations to appear festive for the holidays. Its bark displays a palette of bright colors by design. As older layers of bark peel away in strips, new layers packed with green chlorophyll are revealed. These exposed areas eventually transition to hues of blue, purple, and orange as tannins accumulate. The continual peeling allows the tree to shed mosses, lichen, fungi, or parasites along with the bark, while also exposing the chlorophyll underneath, which boosts the tree"s ability to photosynthesize. The bark isn"t the only unusual thing about this species. While most people associate eucalyptus with koalas and Australia, the rainbow eucalyptus is native to the Philippines and Indonesia. It thrives in tropical climates like Hawaii, where our homepage trees were photographed.

© GlowingEarth/Getty Images Plus

palette

Today in History

Dec 20, 2018Seasonal lights dazzle in Japan
Dec 20, 2020Dressed for winter fun
Dec 20, 2021Ministry of Fun Santa School
Dec 20, 2022Christmas market at Belvedere Palace in Vienna
Dec 20, 2023Val Gardena, South Tyrol, Dolomites, Italy
Dec 20, 2024Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi, Lapland, Finland
Dec 20, 2025Christmas star lanterns, Germany

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Nov 8, 2023Manatee Awareness Month
Feb 21, 2025Champaka Sarasi, Shivamogga, Karnataka, India
Dec 9, 2025National Llama Day
Nov 14, 2025Manatee Awareness Month
Mar 21, 2024International Day of Forests
May 28, 2020Old man s whiskers growing wild
May 10, 2025Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota
Jun 27, 2023Sedona, Arizona
Apr 6, 2019Make way for robots
May 1, 2021It s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Oct 3, 2023Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island, Australia
Apr 20, 2022Mute swans
Jul 3, 2023The dog days of summer
Dec 15, 2018A long winter’s nap, perhaps?
Jul 31, 2025Ring-tailed lemur
Jun 11, 2024Southern gemsbok in the savannah, Botswana
Jul 14, 2023Shark Awareness Day
May 29, 2018The first ascent
Nov 12, 2019Sleep tight, little hedgehog
Nov 16, 2021Glenfinnan Viaduct
Jul 27, 2024Vineyards in the Mosel Valley, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Sep 1, 2018Let the Highland games begin
Oct 22, 2020Moving as one
May 8, 2019’Chess on ice’
Aug 22, 2023Amphitheatre of El Jem, Tunisia
May 28, 2025World Otter Day
Nov 25, 2018‘Ciao’ from Varenna
Oct 28, 2024Pumpkin field, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Jul 3, 2020Dog days of summer
Oct 9, 2024Aspens in the White River National Forest, Colorado