since starting STILL blog, i have become preoccupied with seed pods. so when i saw these beauties in laguna beach last weekend i couldn’t wait to photograph such striking additions to my growing seed pod collection. well, it turns out they are not seed pods at all. they are fruits, and they are called, believe it or not, gumnuts. there appears to be some debate about whether the “gumnut tree” is a form of eucalyptus or its own genus called corymbia. but for the time being it is still common to refer to them as “eucalyptus gumnuts”. which i have now done.
eucalyptus (aka corymbia) gumnuts
laguna beach, california
are they edible?
Yes, if you are a cockatoo. :-)
Again, the memories are flooding back with each entry you make of Laguna. I remember the incredible smell of the eucalyptus (try spelling THAT quickly on the keyboard!) trees in a cool breeze on the road to the beach. Clears out the cobwebs in the brain. The trees, if I’m not mistaken, are an immigrant from Australia I believe. Unfortunately, their oil is explosive in wildfires, so they’re not appreciated during fire season, but their beauty and majesty are well-loved by many. I remember tossing the “gumnuts” at my sister for revenge, not unlike snowballs here in Michigan.
I LOVE your blog!!! I was admiring each image…savoring them almost, imagining the wondrous world of Turtle Lake, Minnesota, so ‘foreign’ to me. When I saw the gumnuts, I almost squealed b/c it was something I recognized and thought we finally had something in common to where I live!! Then, I had to laugh when I saw it was from Laguna Beach. No wonder it was so recognizable…I live in Orange County (Mission Viejo). I love what you do, because, like you, I am compelled to take photos of ‘nature’ at the Oso Creek Trails every time I walk my dog there. It is my little bit of the ‘wild’ in the middle of our city. I’ve never known what to do with all those images over the years. While I may edit them to dramatize patterns, colors or ‘feel’, they remain unprinted and unposted. You are an inspiration.
Hi May. Sometime this February we can talk about the wondrous foreign world of Turtle Lake, Minnesota, and whether you would trade your mundane 70 degree temps for a blanket of snow and 5 below zero! Thanks for taking the time to write such an uplifting message. Who would have thought such an odd bit of nature would connect us? Maybe gumnuts are the secret to world peace.