Deep in the whispering woods lived a little chipmunk named Zephyr. He knew all the trees by heart. They were tall and strong, dressed in shades of cozy brown and gentle gray.

Zephyr loved how the sunlight warmed the brown bark. "Brown is dependable," he chirped. "Gray is sturdy. They match the earth and the stones perfectly."

One sunny morning, Zephyr went exploring past the usual path. And then he stopped. Way, way up high, he saw something that wasn't brown, wasn't gray, and wasn't green!

It was a tree that looked like someone had painted it with the sky! Stripes of bright ocean blue, sunset orange, mossy green, and lavender purple ran all the way up its trunk.

Zephyr wrinkled his nose a little. "Oh dear," he muttered to himself. "It doesn't match the dependable brown trees at all. Is it okay to be so very, very different?"

From a high branch, a wise old owl named Elara watched Zephyr. She saw his confusion. She gently drifted down to land on a nearby branch.

"Hello, little one," Elara hooted softly. "Are you talking to the beautiful Rainbow Tree?" Zephyr pointed his paw at the trunk. "It's not brown, Elara! Why is it painted?"

Elara smiled. "This tree doesn't use paint, Zephyr. When it sheds its old bark, the new bark underneath shines with all these wonderful colors—blue, then purple, then orange, before fading again."

"It is called a Rainbow Eucalyptus. It is different, yes," Elara whispered. "But the world needs dependable brown, and it also needs dazzling blue and bright orange! Difference makes the forest interesting."

Zephyr ran his paw along a streak of sunny yellow. The Rainbow Tree stood tall and bright in the soft light, perfectly unique and perfectly beautiful. "I like different," Zephyr chirped happily.