Keith Horton, Sydney Peppermint tree recovering from fire (July Theme: Nature's Colours)

This Sydney Peppermint (Eucalptus Piperita) tree is responding to fire by putting out epicormic shoots. These shoots grow from buds lying underneath the bark. The bright red/orange/purple colours in the new leaves are due to anthocyanin, a pigment that protects the leaves from insect predation and from sun damage.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.