I’m going to get back to my “Bark Project” one of these days… I’m interested in how living things protect themselves.  I like trees, so I’m particularly interested in the various ways trees protect themselves.  The kinship of trees to humans is obvious.  They have bark; we have skin.  We have trees on our hill that are not native to this place.  The eucalyptus trees and melaleuca trees were brought to North America from Australia and New Caledonia.  The railroad companies brought eucalyptus because they grow quickly and do well in our climate; but it was a mistake to think they would make good railroad ties… too soft, I guess.  I don’t know why the melaleuca were brought here.  They were also brought to Florida where they are now considered a menace in the Everglades, taking over thousands of acres of the famous swamp. The melaleucas on our hill are constantly changing their appearance.  While the eucalyptus usually sheds just one layer of bark every year, the melaleuca peels itself away in layers constantly. Every tree is a veritable evolving landscape… a portrait of a changing, living thing.