Nature Trail
Trees are cool

Ever sat in the sun for a rest on a 45 degree C Summer's day?
Are trees cool, or what!

City kids reckon they're all just trees, but Centralian kids know the difference.

Check out some of the common ones - most of these are on Kampari, our Scout grounds!

 

Ghost Gums are the easiest of all to spot, but tourists think River Red Gums are the same (snap!).
Cubs and Scouts know different.

Witchetty bushes are all over the place, in the roots you can sometimes find Witchetty grubs. They taste like chicken - no, not really - like runny eggs.
Oh, and look out for itchy grubs, they hang out in spiderwebby bags in the forked branches.

Bloodwood trees are cool, 'cos they have Bush coconuts on them, and their sap looks like blood.(More here)

Ironwood trees are tuff - they morph from straggly bushes into willowy slender trees and then into big old spooky Ironwoods, almost as big as Desert Oaks, so tough they rip your arms off before you can cut them in half. (Check it out)

Mulga bushes and trees are clever - they catch every raindrop, and the wood is rockhard, it is way useful, it can be used for anything. Aborigines make their boomerangs, nulla-nullas, and mujik sticks prom dat one. (More)

Corkwoods are nifty - the bark is real rough and corky, and they have spiky needles, but their flowers are nice, they taste just like chicken. No, honey. (find out more)

Dead Finish is a nasty prickly acacia bush good for scratches on your cheek when you're hiking. Dead Finish

Colony Wattle were good for shanghai forks before they were illegal - They're pretty though, they look a bit like mini gum trees with their white bark, but when they're in flower, their wattle-blossom is Aussie gold!

Paperbark teatree bushes are my favourite. The flaky bark feels like layers of paper. You often see them in creeks, like in Wiggley's waterhole and at the Simpson's Gap school campsite.

Mistletoe hangs around in bushes and trees. They suck, but in a wicked way. The seeds are called snotty-gobbles, so sticky that when the Mistletoe bird tries to poo it out, it has to be smeared off against a branch. That's where it grows onto the tree or bush!

Alice Springs Scout Group website
Any Comments or suggestions?