We have an enormous, mature Japanese Umbrella Pine, (Sciadopitys verticillata), that was a gift to my grandmother years ago. It's very lovely and the branches are wonderful for seasonal decorating. It's taller now than the Cape Cod Style house I grew up in next door. Soon it will be a lovely spot of green when everything is brown around us. In her boughs today she showcased a captured golden Norway Maple leaf in the late morning sun.
The Norway Maple ( Acer platanoides) is an invasive tree here, they grow faster than our native maples and other forest trees.This tree was brought to America by the famous botanist of Philadelphia, John Bartram. During the 1930s and 1940s when the streets of many cities lost their shade trees to Dutch Elm disease, the Norway Maple was widely used as a replacement because of its fast growth and deep shade. It's the last tree to lose its leaves here and makes gutter cleanings drag on. They do add a lovely yellow glow to everything at this time of year, but that is their only claim to fame in my estimation. The Japanese Umbrella Pine would win a beauty contest anytime.
For the Record,
This day came in sunny and gorgeous with temps almost reaching the 70sF/21C, astonishing for mid November.
I retired from public school teaching after happily spending twenty eight years playing in Kindergarten. Now I fill my days watching cat antics, taking endless...
