Before I carry the narrative beyond the Northern Territory, I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on what the statistics for this blog are telling me. Interestingly, what they’ve told me is that eucalyptus trees are of stunning interest—particularly ghost gums. Every day, the top post people are looking at is the one I did one year ago about eucalyptus trees (eucalypts in general, but with a special nod to, and photo of, the lovely ghost gum). Of those who reach that post, more than half have actually searched for ghost gums. Others have just looked for gum trees, Australian gums, eucalypts, Australian eucalyptus trees, or blue gums. Posts I’ve done on other trees—boabs, screw palms, and paperbarks—get some play, but nothing like the eucalypts. With more than 100 posts on the site, “Ghost Gums” still gets about 1 out of every 8 hits.
Anzac biscuits are in second place, but have gotten less than a quarter of the hits the post on eucalyptus trees has received. Anzac biscuits was an early post, too (March 23, 2007). Of more recent posts, termites and water buffalo seem to be gaining ground pretty quickly. Of course, that simply reflects searches. Once people get to the site, parrots, waterfalls, rainforest, kangaroos, and other delights keep them around. But there are a lot of folks interested in gum trees.
I did include a fair bit of interesting stuff about eucalypts in that earlier post (May 14, 2007), but I figured, if gum trees are so hot, I could at least give you a couple more photos. Eucalypts are lovely trees, and incredibly varied in size, appearance, and flowers. (And most gum flowers, in addition to being attractive, offer up delightful honey.)
The gum flower below is red, but for different species, can be pink, white, or yellow, and can range from tiny to fairly impressive. The other photo shows one of the things I love about the many eucalypts that shed their bark, what I call the Impressionist Effect. The bark comes off in long strips, and the fresher vs. older places where bark has come off give the trunk the look of an impressionist painting. Depending on the type of tree, the freshness of the lost bark, and the weather, there can be more colors than this—a greater range of tans and browns, plus greens and even rust color. This effect never failed to delight me.
Waltzing Australia 
Hi Cynthia
Can I please ask, if the gum tree flowers which are pink in colour, when it opens it is white, when do they bloom?
Thanks
Without knowing the specific species and where it is growing, it’s impossible to tell. It can be anytime from early spring through late summer, depending on the variety of eucalypt and the climate. I’d recommend going to a plant nursery near where you live and asking someone there about it.