Every street in this area is lined with one type of tree. On our route to the post office, we walk down the 'Gingko tree street'. We didn't know what kind of tree it was for a while. Last fall we noticed the sidewalks were often covered in berries that we began to call "stinky grapes". They are about the size of grapes and, yes, when you step on them they leave an awful odor. One day Keith asked someone on the street and they told him they were Gingko Biloba trees. Sounds like something that grows only in China but not so.
Another nearby street totally lucked out and got the best trees of all. I like to drive out of my way sometimes just to see it. I'm not even sure what kind of tree it is, I'm guessing oak? Can anyone tell from the picture below? It is really a beautiful sight to see the whole street lined with all those trees.
Ethan took these shots for this week's Kiddley photo theme, "Make like a tree and leave." The rest on flickr.
8 comments:
I'm going to guess elm tree. I can't really see it very well, but if it's tall with a sort of gently arching umbrella kind of top it may be one. I'm just thinking that because I love them and think they're exceptionally beautiful. There are a few in Keene, and I can't say I've ever gone out of my way to drive down those streets, but I do consciously enjoy them when I go that way. They have such a graceful form. Put up another picture and maybe I'll be able to tell for sure. (I don't think it's oak, because oak leaves are pretty distinctive).
Love,
Gretchen
You're right, Gretchen, it's not an oak--I looked up oak leaves online and that's not what the leaves look like. Now I think Maple maybe (there's a picture of some of the crumpled up leaves on the road from those trees in his flickr group...not a great pic. but they look closest to Maple).
I can't quite tell, but that looks like the same kind of tree that lines one road at school. I LOVE them! The multicolored bark is so fascinating, and it sheds at some point in the spring. [I actually spent a while one day furtively gathering it for that rainy day when I'll use it for something. ha.]
Stuff I found: The Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), frequently misspelled as "Gingko"...The leaves are unique among seed plants [with]linear-veined foliage...dioecious, with separate sexes, some trees being female and others being male...the seed [not fruit] coat contains butanoic acid and smells like rancid butter (which contains the same chemical...Some people are sensitive to the chemicals in the sarcotesta, the outer fleshy coating...The Ginkgo is a living fossil, with fossils recognisably related to modern Ginkgo from the Permian, dating back 270 million years[!]...Ginkgo flavenoids directly dilate the smallest segment of the circulating system, the micro-capillaries, which increase both blood circulation and oxygen levels in the brain as well as in other critical organ tissues.
http://forestry.about.com/library/treekey/bltree_key_id_start.htm
Takes you through tree ID steps.
Wow, thanks Brenda...Now that you mention it, that spelling does look kind of funny.
Looks like sycamore bark.
Hey! Ethan's GINKGO picture was chosen for Kiddley this week! Yay, Ethan.
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