Kerstin Lembke, Eucalyptus rhodantha multicoloured portrait (SINGLE SHOT 2022)

Eucalyptus rodantha, commonly known as Rose Mallee, is endemic to the Moora district in Western Australia’s Wheatbelt. It is listed as a vulnerable and threatened species under different Acts, mainly due to land clearing. Only a few colonies are remaining, hence I enjoyed visiting this species at Kings Park in Perth over the course of the year. I love how versatile this species is. Some flower in pink, some rarer forms have more creamy-yellow flowers and others display a duotone with both colours within one flower. My favourite is what you see in this photo, with two different colours on one plant, showing an interesting colour contrast, yet in harmony with one another. I took this photo when the E. rhodantha were in full bloom. It was the largest habitat at Kings Park of this species with multiple established plants. Little did I know that I did some conservation work at least with my camera to capture them for years to come as most of these plants don't exist anymore, due to essential Water Corporation construction work. I have seen two last remaining plants within the construction site and dearly hope they survive.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.