Arkaroola redgum......

Well....that's what we call it.

In 1990... or thereabouts we went for a family holiday to the Flinders Ranges and on to Gammon Ranges.

At some point we camped by a river. Eating lunch one afternoon I absent mindedly tugged on a a few seedlings growing in the river pebbles... Out they came.... maybe 8 or so.

To my environmental/green shame.... I put them into a the sandwich bag I had just used. I shoved them under the seat of the old troopie and forgot about them.

Several weeks later back at home I found them. They were still green so I shoved them into a plant pot with some soil..... and then forgot about them for another few months.

Sure enough.... they survived. I planted them in the garden... they died.

One however I planted at the gate of the "Old Block".

We have sold our home and next year will build on the 116 acre "Old Block" Rosedale Vic.

This block has some of the rather special Rosedale plains red gums... apparently they are a slightly threatened sub species.

Meanwhile at the gate is the amazingly small.... say 3 meter "Arkaroola redgum".

It flowered this year..... and here is the worry...... a birds and bees situation.... nature taking it's course....

What if a hybrid red gum is produced! What if it has hybrid vigour? Maybe a 'day of the triffids' invasion of hybrid redgums will take off ...

And then I always wondered about the huntsmen spiders that I brought home from the block... 26ks to home... they may have mated with the hill spiders and maybe even now the new owners are having an invasion of the hybrid spiders?

Or maybe I should get back out and do some work!