In the East Bay Hills of the San Francisco Bay area, Eucalyptus trees dot the landscape. Some might say that they are a dangerous tree; highly flammable and easily breakable. But I love them. There is no better feeling than to inhale their heady aroma while strolling beneath them.
There is no rain here in the summer, and this year the wet weather came later than usual, at the end of November. A few days after the first soaker of the season, I noticed something odd - the wet eucalyptus trunks were striped in color.
I had heard of Rainbow Eucalyptus and seen pictures of brilliantly colored tree trunks in tropical countries. But ours have never looked anything but shades of brown and grey. Suddenly, my trees had taken on a earth-toned rainbow appearance.
The following day I took a walk to get a closer look and take photos. It turned out the pictures from my cheap mobile phone came out better than with the expensive camera. My mistake. Wrong lens. When I returned the following week, just as I had expected, the fun colors had returned to their normal tones.
Whatever the reason - chemical reaction to the rain after an extended dry period, or a magical spell, it was a sight to behold.
