Dean Nicolle

This video at our arboretum water trough in February (ignore the date stamp) shows how crowded it gets on a hot day during record dry conditions. New Holland, white-plumed, brown-headed and black-chinned (centre of frame) honeyeaters, little wattlebirds and willie wagtails.

Last weekend's rain was forecast to break records in SA and Vic, and although it did in some areas, we only recorded 23 mm at Currency Creek Arboretum. Lucked out this time!

A fascinating two days with the dedicated crew of Gardening Australia, filming two segments with the wonderful Sophie Thomson. One will focus on the impacts of climate change at Currency Creek Arboretum, the other will highlight our backyard pool-to-pond conversion. Both will air later in the year.

BOM is suggesting total forecast rainfall >50 mm (over 8 days from today) for much of SA and Vic.

European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts is suggesting 95 mm (over 5 days from Friday to Tuesday) for the arboretum.

The BOM text forecast is for 2 to 72 mm (over 4 days from Friday to Monday), which is a bit of a worry...

24 month rainfall for the south of SA (including at the arboretum) is still 'Lowest on record'.

I know it's only a prediction based on modelling, but it's difficult not to get excited about the massive rainfall event forecast through drought-stricken parts of SA and Vic over the next week.

50+ mm would be a literal life-saver for so many species at the arboretum.

Whilst much of Australia floods, rainfall in parts of southern SA and Vic is still 'lowest on record' over the last 2 years. And haven't had a drop of rain since November at the arboretum.

reg.bom.gov.au/climate/maps...

That's 50 to 100 *species* (not individuals) that have succumbed to climate-related drought at the arboretum in the last 24 months. Every species there is (or was) represented by multiple individuals/replicates.

Table summarising the number of eucalypt species growing at Currency Creek Arboretum.

Screenshot from BOM indicating rainfall deciles in South Australia over 24 months to December 2025.

The arboretum reached 'peak eucalypt diversity' in early 2024, when we had 95% of all euc species growing (820 of the 840 known species).

Since then, we've lost 50 to 100 species due to 'drought'. With runaway anthropogenic climate change, we're unlikely to ever reach those Feb 2024 numbers again.

After bone-dry January, Adelaide faces low summer rainfall record Adelaide has had no rainfall to date in January 2026 after just 2.8mm in December and faces a record dry summer.

Another drier than average year, after last year's rainfall being the lowest on record for parts of SA. And now, just to top it off, we're going for the driest summer on record...

www.weatherzone.com.au/news/after-b...

Variole paropsine beetle larvae chewing a few leaves on a Eucalyptus mckieana sapling at Currency Creek Arboretum.

Pretty cool critters at this life-stage, but I'm hoping to see them as adult beetles, when they become much more endearing! See:
www.inaturalist.org/taxa/746677-...

New article on 'Hybridisation and Species Boundary in Eucalypts'. It focuses on 1) Phantom hybrids & 2) The Eucalyptus globulus species complex.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Photos are of 'The Mallacoota Gum', a phantom hybrid of E. cypellocarpa and E. pseudoglobulus.

The 'Forest Lodge Tree', an impressively tall river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) in the upper Glenelg River catchment in the heart of Gariwerd / The Grampians.

I laser-measured this tree at 48 m tall, 7.3 m in trunk girth at chest height, and 26 m in average canopy diameter.

The 'Faraway Tree' at Moot Yang Gunya Swamp in Mundulla (south-west of Bordertown) in South Australia.

I measured this massive river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) last week at 8.77 metres in trunk girth at chest height, 41 m tall, and 31 metres in average canopy spread.

SApaging.com Forest Fire Behaviour Index (FBI) map for South Australia. Fire Danger Rating South Australian CFS,MFS,SES,SAAS,MEDStar paging feeds

Any South Aussies looking for real-time Fire Behaviour Index data on a map? This page is great for ugly days like today: sapaging.com/ffdi_map

You can also click on any ‘spot’ to get current & recent FBI, temps, wind gusts, humidity etc.

A outstanding specimen of Eucalyptus woodwardii (lemon-flowered gum) growing in the wild. It's one of 173 types of eucalypts that occur naturally in the WA goldfields, and one of 46 species that occur naturally nowhere else in the world.

More info: www.dn.com.au/Eucalypts_of...

After decades of research, our new book on the eucalypts of WA's goldfields has finally arrived! Designed, compiled and printed in Australia.
Looking forward to hearing what everyone thinks of this one.

For more information, sample pages and to order:
www.dn.com.au/Eucalypts_of...

For more info and order direct from the authors (to be sent upon release next week):
Dean Nicolle:
www.dn.com.au/Eucalypts_of...
Malcolm French:
www.eucalyptsofwa.com.au/eucalypts-of...

Cover of our new book, to be released next week (in the first week of December 2025).

A typical goldfields landscape, with the iconic 𝘌𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘴 (gimlet).

The area covered by this book. It includes the Great Western Woodlands and the WA section of the Great Victoria Desert. A total of 173 eucalypt species and subspecies occur in the WA goldfields.

Sample page-spread for 𝘌𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘪 (lemon-flowered gum).

𝐄𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐩𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚 - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐬
Malcolm French and I are delighted to introduce our newest book, to be released next week! It includes all 173 different eucalypts from the WA goldfields, including many iconic species (gimlets, salmon gum, coral gum, the 'minniritchi' mallees, etc).

Couple's 'fantastic' backyard pool transformation inspires Aussies Many Aussies are now wondering if they can achieve the same 'sensational' results at their home. Find out more.

A story on our backyard swimming pool-to-pond conversion: au.news.yahoo.com/couples-fant...

Both are Eucalyptus conferruminata. This is much more commonly planted than both E. sinuosa and E. lehmannii and differs from both in being a non-lignotuberous tree (an obligate seeder) rather than mallees.

Two big issues with the new BOM site, for anyone working in the field:

The 'Current Observations' table, where you could see and compare current observations (wind gusts, temps etc) across the state, is no more.

Rain radar maps are dumbed-down so it is difficult to locate on-ground locations.

The new BOM site is a shemozzle. Dumbed-down information and impossible to find actual weather data. A massive step backwards for such an important service.

Currency Creek Arboretum open days for 2026 are now scheduled!

The world's most diverse collection of eucalypts is only open to the public twice a year, at our biannual open days. Details here: www.dn.com.au/Currency_Cre...

We're all set up and ready to go for the arboretum open days THIS WEEKEND! Come and see the world's most diverse collection of eucalypts, with over 800 species growing on the one site.

About an hour's drive south of Adelaide in SA. Open day details here: www.dn.com.au/Currency_Cre...

Ocean heat was off the charts, and Australia bore the brunt For the past year, Australia's oceans have been hotter than ever before. The impacts are being felt all across the nation — as far away from the coast as you can get.

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...

1. Eucalyptus conferruminata subsp. 'Cape Arid' (Cape Arid marlock)
2. E. dolichorhyncha (long-budded fuchsia gum)
3. E. diversifolia subsp. hesperia (Wylie Scarp mallee)
4. E. rhodantha (rose mallee)

You can also find out more about the arboretum here: www.dn.com.au/Currency_Cre...

Less than 2 weeks until our arboretum open days! Here's a few of the eucalypts flowering at the moment.

These free open days only occur biannually. Currency Creek Arboretum is about an hour's drive south of Adelaide in SA. Open details here: www.dn.com.au/Currency_Cre...

Carnivorous plants are always pretty cool, and we are lucky enough to have large populations of four different sundew (Drosera) species at the arboretum.

D. whittakeri (Whittaker's sundew)
D. glanduligera (scarlet sundew)
D. auriculata (tall sundew)
D. macrantha subsp. planchonii (climbing sundew)

Forest rail trail grows from artist and tree scientist's seedling deal A unique partnership between an artist and a botanist has resulted in an old rail corridor in South Australia becoming an eucalypt forest.

A unique partnership between an artist and a botanist has resulted in an old rail corridor in South Australia becoming an eucalypt forest.

"Perth had its wettest winter in 30 years. Why aren't its dams full?" An insightful and alarming news article by the ABC:

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...

A great initiative by Ian Roberts, showcasing many of the eucalypt species he has planted around Blyth.

Unfortunately I can’t be there for the opening (I’ll be many thousands of kilometers away on that date) but it should be a wonderful day for all that make it.