Natural History Wanderings

Bay Nature reports

Fungal blight, in combination with warmer, drier climates, has done serious damage to Albany Hill’s eucalyptus stands. Some people might cheer for the downfall of this non-native species—but the trees are also home to a multitude of monarchs.

Albany Hill was hit particularly hard in a blight that came for the Bay Area’s eucalyptuses in 2020. That year, eucalyptus trees began to suffer from a dieback—a creeping decline of mysterious origin that left the trees with blotchy, withered leaves. The trees struggled to photosynthesize, and without food, they began to waste away. Arborists hired by the city of Albany, which owns about half of the hill, deemed many of the brittle, drought-parched trees a fire and falling risk for residents and park visitors. 

Read more at The Nearly Unkillable Eucalyptus Meets Its Match | Bay Nature