Black Spur Visual Story Part 1

When we first saw the Black Spur after the fires much of the forest was blackened with dry brown leaves on the trees that were not totally blackened. Occasionally a tree fern would have one or two greenish fronds in amongst the brown and black.



Then we would come to areas that seemed almost untouched: a little gully of green ferns looking soft to eyes that still felt shocked from some of the sights we'd driven through; a patch of tall mountain ash still reaching up to the light with unburnt bark and a green canopy; a little place where I like to stop and sit facing a beautiful valley of eucalypts, Australian myrtle and tree ferns, all still clothed in soft green and rich healthy brown.





On recent trips we've been excited to see new growth every time.



There are still a lot of tree ferns that are standing forlornly with fronds denuded of all green, looking naked. If they're still alive the memory of the burn is too deeply engraved in their exterior for us to see yet. Other tree ferns have been actively and visibly growing for weeks now and many have a dozen new fronds well on the way to maturity. Their recovery seems nothing short of miraculous. Each time we pass through the Spur we watch excitedly for new growth and each trip it looks so different. I'm not sure if I can convey a sense of our amazement, awe, excitement. Today I was continually uplifted by the wonder and beauty of its recovery.