Ginkgo Leaves

Walking along the sidewalks of Camden, I would occasionally catch a glimpse of a Ginkgo leaf. This surprised me, as my previous encounter with Ginkgo trees was on a suburban campus tucked away in a well-manicured quadrangle lawn. I was terribly excited to catch a glimpse of one of my favorite botanical specimens and wondered where it was coming from. I would glance from side to side looking for the source of the leaves but it never caught my eye.

This past fall, after most of the colors were gone, I continued to be greeted by the most brilliant yellow Ginkgo leaves as I walked. One morning, I turned the corner a block earlier to avoid having to stop for the light and suddenly there it was in front of me! I had been walking by it and probably looking right at it and even past it, but never actually identifying it until I saw it from a different angle.

I did some research and found that I should not have been surprised at all to find a Ginkgo tree on the streets of Camden because the Ginkgo is one of the world's most urban-tolerant trees. The Ginkgo resists pests, disease and pollution and grows where most other trees will not grow.

Now, when I walk by the Ginkgo tree that grows out of an urban sidewalk, I recognize it for its beauty and its ability to tolerate conditions that are less than ideal. I am now on the lookout for more Ginkgo trees in every city I visit!

For more information on the Ginkgo tree, check out this page from Ohio State:
http://www.hcs.ohio-state.edu/hcs/TMI/Plantlist/gi_iloba.html