The Tall Healer of the Forest 🌿🌳✨ I, Eucalyptus

Have you ever looked up at a tree so tall that its top disappeared into the sky? 🌫️🌲 I’m one of those giants. My name is Eucalyptus 👏 Eu 👏 ca 👏 lyp 👏 tus 👏 —a name from Greek that means “well-covered,” thanks to the little cap that hides my flower buds before they bloom. But today, I’m not just here to tell you about myself—I’m here to lead you on a search for the tallest trees in the world. 🌍🌲

I come from an ancient family of flowering trees that first appeared over 50 million years ago—alongside the first hoofed animals!🌿🕰️ Today, I stand as one of Earth’s tallest living beings—sometimes over 90 meters tall(that’s around 300 feet). That’s as tall as a 30-story building, or 15 giraffes standing on each other’s heads! 🦒🦒🦒🦒🦒🦒🦒🦒🦒🦒🦒🦒🦒🦒🦒 Not to brag, but I'm the tallest flowering plants on Earth. But am I the tallest tree of all? 🤔 That’s a question for you to investigate!

Let me tell you about my life in the eucalyptus forests of Australia. My smooth bark peels away in long ribbons, revealing colorful patches underneath, like nature is painting me. 🎨🌍 My wood is strong and sturdy, and humans have used it to build homes, tools, and even boats for many, many years.🎨 My flowers are inviting you to be curious—no petals at all! Instead, I wear fluffy bursts of stamens in cream, red, yellow, or pink, attracting birds, bees, and flying foxes with my nectar. 🌸🦜🐝

And guess who lives with me? I have the cutest roommates.🐨 Koalas spend most of their lives in my branches. They munch on my leaves—even though they’re filled with strong oils and chemicals that make them poisonous to most animals. But koalas have special adaptations, so don’t worry about them!

🦎 Disguised geckos are hiding on my bark. 🦉 Owls, cockatoos, and other birds make their homes in hollows that take over 100 years to naturally form. Would you wait that long to move in? 🏡All these creatures depend on me—and in return, they help pollinate my flowers and spread my seeds. 🌿🕊️ That’s called interdependence, a secret thread that connects all life.

From the timeline of life, trees like me have evolved—slowly, silently, and with great purpose—to reach the sky and support entire ecosystems.🌌🌱 But our size isn’t just for show. We store carbon in our wood, roots, and leaves—carbon that would otherwise stay in the air as carbon dioxide, a gas that contributes to warming the planet. 🌍🌡️ That means tall trees like me help cool the Earth just by growing!

We also create microclimates—little pockets of climate within the forest. Under our branches, it’s cooler and moister. That helps tiny plants, mushrooms, and shy animals thrive, even in places that might otherwise be too hot or dry. 🌳💦

So when you see a tall tree, you’re not just seeing a plant—you’re seeing a whole living community, held together by roots, branches, and invisible relationships. 🌱🕸️

🧐 I wonder… What are the top 5 tall trees on Earth? Are they as old as me? How tall a tree can really grow? Is there a limit? Could trees become even taller in the future? How much carbon one tree can hold? Could a whole forest cool the planet?

I-narrative stories are best told aloud, allowing children to fully engage their imagination and connect deeply with the subject. Sometimes, we use charts or visual aids to spark even more curiosity and understanding. I tailor these stories because of my passion for storytelling and my desire to connect children with the world around them. Through stories, children can explore nature, history, art, biology, music, geometry, language, geography and the wonders of the universe in a way that feels memorable and alive.

With Montessori joy,

Vanina 😊