Photos Show Baby Trees Sprouting From the Ashes in Blacked Australian Forest After Bushfire Devastation

Getty Images | Lisa Maree Williams

The photos show tiny leaves budding in a charred landscape. But for Australians besieged by catastrophic bushfires and others who have been anxiously following news of the blazes down under, there hasn’t been much if any positive news to hold onto.

When the photos appeared of plant life in the bush returning, literally rising from the ashes, taken by photographers Murray Lowe and Mary Voorwinde from the country’s devastated Central Coast, they naturally drew a lot of attention and inspired hope.

“Ventured out into the fire grounds today to capture some images of how the Aussie bush responds to fire, and the way it regenerates itself and comes back to life,” Lowe wrote in a post on Facebook.

The photos reveal the first shoots coming out of completely charred and blackened trees, and small palms popping up from the blackened earth. It was a ray of light in a very dark moment for the country.

“Even without any rain, life bursts through the burnt bark from the heart of the trees and the life cycle begins again,” Lowe added.

The two photographers made the discovery in Kulnura, an area that was badly burnt by fires in December 2019. The photographers caught emerging grass trees (xanthorrhoea), whose seeds can only emerge when cracked open by the heat from fires. Other photos showed eucalyptus trees, which displayed new growth shooting up from the base of the trunks.

“It’s so heartening to see the bush coming back to life again,” said Lowe.

Voorwinde captured more of the rebirth on her own Facebook page, in which she wrote: “It was eerie being there and then in amongst all this ash and black burnt trunks was all this rejuvenation.”

She added: “With all that is lost in nature, there is hope of life again.”

Lowe received tens of thousands of like, shares, and comments after he posted his pictures on Jan. 6, 2020, and announced that he would be selling copies, with proceeds going to victims of the fire.

The amateur photographer added: “I did not, in my wildest dreams, anticipate the overwhelming response to my photos that I’ve seen.

“It’s both humbling, and heart-warming. Thank you for the comments and questions.”

In spite of recent developments concerning three fires at the border between New South Wales and Victoria merging, as per the Sydney Morning Herald, more people have begun seeing signs that the country is starting to bounce back.

The Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, which has been on the front lines of treating and rehabilitating hundreds of koalas harmed by the blazes, posted more photos of plant life coming back in the Bril Bril State Forest in New South Wales. They shared a picture on their Instagram feed, captioned: “New shoots from the trunks of koala food trees, and the sprouting undergrowth [which] brought a smile to our faces.”

Despite a recent respite provided by cooler temperatures and rains throughout the southeast of the country, much of the country’s bush in the state of New South Wales is still in danger. However, with donations of money, material, and manpower pouring in from all over the world, and prayers added to that, there’s hope that the country will make a recovery soon.