This is the biggest Gingko biloba tree I have ever seen! I stood under it for a long time, looking up. The breeze made every fan-shaped leaf flutter. Like @liliana-duarte says in her #treetuesday post today, gingko leaves do look like butterflies.
I can't even imagine how many leaves were on this huge Gingko tree
Look how big that tree trunk is! Gingkos are slow-growing trees. This one has been here for nearly 200 years. It's in the Capitol area of Washington, DC.
The bark of this big tree is thick and gnarly. There is a lot of life right on this bark - tiny lichens that can live in city air. Amazing!
Gingko leaves are like little fans - or butterflies. These leaves were coming out of the base of the tree, through that thick, gnarly old bark. Gingkos are amazing trees, full of life!
Ginkgos are amazing trees. If you ever find one with fruit on it, there is some good - but stinky - foraging for you! You can find out more in my post about Gingko Nuts and my 8 Principles for Foraging. It has a DTUBE video in it, too, that you may find useful.
Check out the delicious Olive-Gingko Nut salad I made for the Steemit Iron Chef. Have you ever eaten Gingko nuts?
Another look up into a mighty Gingko tree.
Haphazard Homestead
foraging, gardening, nature, simple living close to the land
All content is 100% Haphazard Homestead!My YouTube channel: Haphazard Homestead
Haven't eaten Gingko nuts, but have collected Gingko leaves ~ In the Autumn as that's when they are highest in nutrients. I hang them to dry and use as Gingko Tea. Amazing trees. All the more so for their age. 🦋
That's great that you use the Gingko leaves! The trees sure make enough of them! Are you getting them before they turn yellow?
Usually just as they start to turn yellow. I hope I have that right. 🙏
Thanks! I'll have to plan for that next fall. Maybe I will have to do some taste testing - spring to fall.... : )
In Spring the new leaves are soft and tender and you can easily use them in salads: Chopped finely.
But as they get older the leaves become really hard and tough and not so good in salad. Maybe you could steam them. Haven't tried that. Perhaps their nutrients would be destroyed by heating though. 🦋
That matches a lot of tree leaves for eating. I eat quite a few tree leaves in the spring and early summer! Some kinds don't last long in good quality, like river birch and norway maples get too much tannin right away. But others, like american elms or basswood are good for a much longer season. I'll have to swing by my local gingkos this spring. I'll have to do some research on their change in nutrition levels over the spring and summer, too. There's never an end to learning more about using the plants around us! :D
Very beautiful tree with wonderful leaves. It's really an amazing tree.
Thanks for sharing the information and photography of Gingko tree.
I really like your blog. it's very informative about nature.
Thanks, @anayakhan! There is so much about nature to enjoy!
WOW! Really big and wonderful tree! Great shot! ;)
It was so nice to be underneath it and watch all the leaves fluttering in the breeze. I hope it lives there for a long time to come!
You were very lucky to be underneath it! I also hope it lives there for a long time to come! ;)
It's really beautiful Gingko tree. Your love for nature is inspiring. Steem on:)
Thank you, @cheema. I do like nature! There is so much going on out there, if we just look around. Have a great day!
Wow, I don't even remember when was the last time I ride a bicycle!
They are a great way to travel! I wrote a post about these rental bikes in Washington, DC. They sure made it easier to get around and see more of the sights. It's such a big place, even just going from tree to tree in the national mall area would take so long. I was glad to have a bike!
I really love the bark on that one. Very cool leaves as well.
The leaves are so unique! And the bark was gnarly for a gingko. I was surprised to find lichen in such an urban environment, because lichens are sensitive to air pollution. But maybe all those big trees filter a lot of the air. It sure was cooler with all the trees around there -- it was hot that day, but better under the trees!
This is such a beautiful tree, and very interesting leaves on that kind of tree... I love trees and nature in all forms:-)
There is nothing else like the Gingko leaves. And the trees have such a unique form. The posts from @liliana.duarte show that better than this post. Your posts make it clear that you are a nature lover, indeed! :D Enjoy the outdoors and all your snow!
Thank you! I checked her post, and yes, amazing leaves!
I will enjoy:) And you seems to have summer days, enjoy these as well!
Every day in nature is a good day! :D
The leaves are used as an adaptogenic herb, revered for there ability to help fortify one's memory. Gingko is also one of the most ancient trees alive today! So cool:))
Thanks for adding that! I've been enjoying Gingko nuts that I harvested this month, in the town where I live. They are good, too! I hope you get to enjoy some gingko leaves or nuts yourself! They are a cool tree -- just as a tree, even. I always smile when I see one!
I think I had never seen such a big gingko tree....wow, impressive!! I love this tree, but never had used it has you!! :)
This gingko was the biggest I've ever seen, by far! It must have been planted long ago, when the national capitol area was developed. There are some big, old trees in that area. I'll show them sometime. Do you ever see any gingko trees with fruit on them? I hope you do -- and that you get to try the nuts! They are such interesting - and pretty - trees! And not invasive! ; )
What a great post ...awesome tree also photography. .thanks for sharing lovely post with us @haphazrd-hstead
Gingkos are great trees. I hope you enjoy being around one, too, sometime.