Trees such as the Black Walnut and Tree of Heaven have very long and heavy leaves which require a large leaf base.
No native tree has a bigger leaf than the Kentucky Coffee Tree. There is a grove of about 100 Kentucky Coffee Trees at Ashbridge’s Bay.
Here is a photo showing where several of these large leaves meet the branch:
When these leaves fall in autumn, a large scar is left on the branch:
Some people call this the “monkey face” scar. Tree guides refer to this as “heart-shaped”.
It was a chilly (2 degrees), overcast and very windy morning at Ashbridge’s Bay.
If you remember glorious Panicled Aster from September, here is how it look when it has gone to seed:
We were fortunate to see both species of kinglets up close:
Here are some other species that I was able to photograph:
Miles Hearn
NATURE POETRY
All afternoon his tractor pulls a flat wagon
with bales to the barn, then back to the waiting
chopped field. It trails a feather of smoke.
– David Baker (1954 -)