Ginkgo

Bell17.08 Gingko by Earl Plato
It’s good to have friends contact you by e-mail or by snail mail. Cynthia Skinner is one of those friends who supplies me with newspaper nature articles. Cynthia works the winter in Arkansas as a nurse. Soon she will return to her Sherkston, Ontario home. I will meet her at the next Bert Miller Nature Club meeting and thank her. One of her articles clipped from the Arkansas Democrat Gazette caught my eye. It was about that primitive Ginkgo tree. I had viewed this unique tree at Longwood Gardens near Philadelphia, PA. It was a huge tree well over 100 years old. On returning home I was told about the Gingko tree east of the parking lot at the historic MacFarlane House on the Niagara Parkway. I know the tree and its unusual leaf, This is the tree of the dinosaur age. (Ginkgo biloba) has few close elatives. We are told that they are deciduous that grow to 100 feet or more. Gingko trees in China are reported to be several centuries old! I have a pressed ginkgo leaf. It is a triangular, fan-shaped leaf with prominent veins running the length of the leaf. You know I like the colour yellow in nature. Visit he MacFarlane house this fall. Want a striking fall colour effect? The gingko leaves turn to a beautiful golden yellow.
Note: The fleshy yellow fruit produced on female ginkgo trees are stinky. Naturalist friend Ernie said they are reminiscent of fresh “dog poop.” However, each fruit produces a big (supposedly) edible seed.
Gingko trees - look for them in Niagara.