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Pawpaw, Asimina triloba, is a small understory tree very common in Appalachian forests. The fruit, prized by people and possums alike, has a custardy texture and flavor. The fruit, as well as the tree, is called Hoosier banana, at least in Indiana. Pawpaw is a member of the family Annonaceae, an important family of mainly tropical trees and shrubs. Pawpaw has many tropical characters, from its strange purple flowers to its broad, undissected leaves.
Here are some photos of the amazing flowers and young fruit of pawpaw. Click the pictures for really big images. The purple flower is especially glorious at full screen.
Have you every looked closely at tree leaves in spring? Our eyes are drawn to showy flowers and flitting birds, but a close look at emerging leaves shows some astonishing beauty. The most interesting thing about spring leaves is the intricate folding. Leaves are often folded in half (as in redbud and hickory) or have complicated, compact folding schemes (as in oak and ash). Watching leaves emerge from their tight folding in buds to become full-grown leaves is fascinating.
Next time you are outside, have a look at some growing leaves. Visit the same plants over a few days and you will be amazed at the rapid changes you see.
Here are a few pictures of spring leaves in development (I will add more later). Click on the pictures to see a high-resolution version.
bitternut hickory, Carya cordiformis. Leaflets are folded in half as the rachis (leaf stem) grows.
Yellow buckeye, Aesculus flava. Leaves emerge with the flowers. Leaflets are tightly rolled.
Eastern redbud, Cercis canadensis. Leaves are folded in half as they emerge, quickly unfolding.
northern red oak, Quercus rubra. Bright red leaves are compactly folded along sinuses. The leaves transition from red to green as they unfold.
Two pictures of green ash, Fraxinus pennsylvanica. Leaflets are folded in half and folded against the rachis, spreading and unfolding as they develop.
My article on trees, ice storms and power is available at the Lexington Herald-Leader. Comments on the article are welcome at Sustainable Kentucky.
You may want to see the first part of my slide show “Ice, Trees and Power” Part 2 will be available this evening.
The worst ice storm in Kentucky’s history struck the state in early February 2009, wiping out power to nearly 1 million homes and businesses. In urban areas, most power outages were caused by trees striking power lines. In my op-ed piece to appear in the Lexington Herald-Leader, I argue that most damage due to ice [...]
The stimulus bill includes $650 Million for Forest Service capital improvement and maintenance. Much of stimulus money will go to correct the huge backlog of Forest Service deferred maintenance. Forest Service programs to be funded include:
priority road, bridge and trail maintenance and decommissioning, including related watershed restoration and ecosystem enhancement projects; facilities improvement, maintenance [...]
The $790 billion stimulus bill, now out in final form, does not include funding for urban forestry improvements that were in the original House version of the bill. The original bill included funding within wildlands fire management that could provide urban forestry funding:
$550,000,000… for State fire assistance hazardous fuels projects, volunteer fire assistance, cooperative [...]
Flower of witchhazel, Hamamelis virginiana. Witchhazel is the only native shrub that flowers in the winter in the eastern US. It is commonly found along streambanks and in coves and other rich, moist sites. Witchhazel is the source of the astringent and cleansing agents sold as Witch Hazel.
Witchhazel is pollinated by the winter moth, [...]
Sustainable Kentucky and Trees, Climate and People are experiencing technical problems. We will have both sites repaired shortly and apologize for the inconvenience.
Phenology is the study of the timing of natural events. Phenology observers record the date and location of important seasonal events, such as bud burst, flowering, insect emergence and animal migration. Once a Victorian hobby, phenology has never been of much interest to Americans. The USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN) aims to change that by [...]
Invasive woody plants are a major problem in forests worldwide. Invasive trees and shrubs are often fast-growing with light, wind-dispersed seed or bird-carried fruit. They are able to quickly colonize disturbed sites and may prevent native species from germinating or growing. Here in central Kentucky, almost every forest patch near urban areas is so choked [...]
