Ginkgo

Fossils indicate that the Ginkgo family is over 200 million years old. Ginkgo biloba is the only species living today in the entire division Ginkgophyta.

Ginkgoes are dioecious, meaning some trees are male and some are female. This particular group of trees is the product of asexual reproduction. An older gingko was cut down and new shoots came up around the stump.

As the stump decayed, the strongest shoots survived and grew into trees, forming a ring of ginkgoes.

-looking up from the center-

-cicada shell on ginkgo bark-

The leaves are set in whorls on short, slow-growing shoots.

They're green in the summer...

and turn yellow in the fall.

If you've ever walked by a female ginkgo around this time of year, you know why most cities only allow male ginkgoes to be planted along the streets: the fruit smells pretty bad. Some say rancid butter, but I didn't even know butter could go bad, so consulting my personal odor library, I can only say that it's reminiscent of stomach acid mixed with partially digested food.

This path was covered in fallen leaves and fruit.

a treacherous route...