November 2014 Nature Column as published in the Woburn Advocate
There are still plenty of leaves on the trees this month! The foliage was beautiful during October and there is still plenty of yellow around. One of the trees that is a brilliant golden yellow is the Gingko that sits along the Woburn Parkway, almost out to Pleasant Street. It was planted when the Parkway was built in 1913 along with one other that used to be just before the junction of the Parkway and Water Street. Many years ago a hydrant was put in near to the tree, and in the process many of the roots were damaged. The tree succumbed after about 5 years. But the one near Pleasant St. still stands in all its golden glory, waiting for a frost! (More about that in a minute).
The Gingko biloba is a tree unique in that it has no living relatives. It is, in effect, a living fossil! Its fan shaped leaves are also unique to it. They are large trees, normally reaching a height of 66–115 feet. The tree has an angular crown and long, somewhat erratic branches, and is usually deep rooted and resistant to wind and snow damage. It is a relatively shade-intolerant species and a combination of resistance to disease, insect-resistant wood and the ability to form aerial roots and sprouts makes ginkgos long-lived, with some specimens claimed to be more than 2,500 years old. These qualities also make it a good candidate for a street tree. Something, apparently they knew, 101 years ago!
Ginkgos are dioecious, with separate sexes, some trees being female and others being male. The tree we have is male. The other one that died might have been female, but I don’t think so as I never remember seeing any seeds.
This tree is also unlike other deciduous trees in that it hangs on to almost all its leaves after they turn golden yellow, until a certain time! That time, one might think, is a good wind storm. But that is not what triggers the leaf drop. The sap that holds the leaves onto the tree is very sticky. But when it freezes and thaws it becomes like water. Then as soon as the sun hits it in the morning, all the leaves start dropping, all once! If it is a still morning, they form a golden carpet in a circle around the tree. I have been privileged to see this phenomenon only 2 or 3 times in the 42 years I have lived here at the Pond. As I am writing this over the weekend, the leaves have all turned and I am waiting to see the golden rain! It is quite unique in the world of trees and only happens when everything lines up perfectly: no wind, all the leaves have turned, late frost, sunny morning. It is a sight I hope you all get to see in your lifetime!
The full moon this month was back on the sixth and is called the Full Beaver Moon (sometimes called the Full Frost Moon). The December full moon is called the Cold Moon and is also on the 6th.
There are still plenty of leaves on the trees this month! The foliage was beautiful during October and there is still plenty of yellow around. One of the trees that is a brilliant golden yellow is the Gingko that sits along the Woburn Parkway, almost out to Pleasant Street. It was planted when the Parkway was built in 1913 along with one other that used to be just before the junction of the Parkway and Water Street. Many years ago a hydrant was put in near to the tree, and in the process many of the roots were damaged. The tree succumbed after about 5 years. But the one near Pleasant St. still stands in all its golden glory, waiting for a frost! (More about that in a minute).
The Gingko biloba is a tree unique in that it has no living relatives. It is, in effect, a living fossil! Its fan shaped leaves are also unique to it. They are large trees, normally reaching a height of 66–115 feet. The tree has an angular crown and long, somewhat erratic branches, and is usually deep rooted and resistant to wind and snow damage. It is a relatively shade-intolerant species and a combination of resistance to disease, insect-resistant wood and the ability to form aerial roots and sprouts makes ginkgos long-lived, with some specimens claimed to be more than 2,500 years old. These qualities also make it a good candidate for a street tree. Something, apparently they knew, 101 years ago!
Ginkgos are dioecious, with separate sexes, some trees being female and others being male. The tree we have is male. The other one that died might have been female, but I don’t think so as I never remember seeing any seeds.
This tree is also unlike other deciduous trees in that it hangs on to almost all its leaves after they turn golden yellow, until a certain time! That time, one might think, is a good wind storm. But that is not what triggers the leaf drop. The sap that holds the leaves onto the tree is very sticky. But when it freezes and thaws it becomes like water. Then as soon as the sun hits it in the morning, all the leaves start dropping, all once! If it is a still morning, they form a golden carpet in a circle around the tree. I have been privileged to see this phenomenon only 2 or 3 times in the 42 years I have lived here at the Pond. As I am writing this over the weekend, the leaves have all turned and I am waiting to see the golden rain! It is quite unique in the world of trees and only happens when everything lines up perfectly: no wind, all the leaves have turned, late frost, sunny morning. It is a sight I hope you all get to see in your lifetime!
The full moon this month was back on the sixth and is called the Full Beaver Moon (sometimes called the Full Frost Moon). The December full moon is called the Cold Moon and is also on the 6th.