� Jan. 4, 2008 - The Northern Catalpa Tree
When we moved to this house last Summer, we discovered a new and strange looking tree on our street. Every time we would go for a walk we would stare up at it's huge leaves and long skinny pods. Unfortunately, all of our school books were the last to get unpacked and so I didn't have a nature book to identify it with until September.
It was then that we learned that it was a Northern Catalpa. (At least I'm assuming it's a 'Northern' rather than a 'Southern' because we live in the Northern Hemisphere.)
This is how it looked in the early Fall, before it lost it's leaves:
(catalpa speciosa)
My kids couldn't wait until the 'pods' fell because we were so curious about what was in them. We thought there might be seeds, but it was only a woody substance. It's hard to tell how big the leaves actually are(6-12 in.) and so I took this photo to show you: (the children's scissors are there for a size reference)
And here it is on a sunny, yet cold December day: (I do not have a Spring or Summer photo, when I do I'll make 'Year for a tree' post.)
You can see all of the pods (fruit) dangling from the branches. Apparently the flowers are white with purple and yellow flecks. We will have to wait to see those!
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� Jan. 5, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Blessings, Melissa