Symbol of the Kimberley

AUSTRALIA ISN’T KNOWN for its deciduous trees. Across vast swathes of forest on other continents, the annual cycle of shedding and regrowth is ubiquitous. Each year, as days shorten and temperatures drop, leaves fall. Trees shut down for winter, biding their time before embarking on a huge spring growth spurt.

But in Australia’s highly variable boom-bust climatic conditions, the evolutionary path to deciduousness was never really an option. Putting on leaves in response to seasonal change, only to have that foliage wither prematurely during tough times, is biologically wasteful. Unable to rely on predictable seasonal cycles, our trees have become opportunists, waiting out dry spells by tapping groundwater, their permanent leaf canopy always at the ready in case rain does come. The omnipresent eucalypts are a perfect example of Australia’s ascendant evergreens.

Although evergreens are ecologically triumphant here, Australia is