Ginkgo Dreams - Celebrating Ginkgo

Most autumns bring at least one news article on the beauty and uniqueness of ginkgo trees. In one from The Clarion-Ledger, Norman Winter poses a pertinent question:

It was brought to the United States in 1784 from Asia, but ginkgo fossils have been found in America. For a good debate, I love to pose the question: if ginkgo fossils have been found in America, does this not mean it’s native?

You wouldn’t find much of a market here in the United States selling ginkgo nuts as a school fundraiser, but it’s a different story in Japan:

Students at Habu Primary School in Narita, Chiba Prefecture, are maintaining a tradition of gathering nuts from a tall gingko tree in the school yard to sell for charity.

The Gingko Nuts Fund of the school, where 91 pupils study, is an endeavor dating back more than 30 years. Vice Principal Hiroaki Hara said the charitable work, no matter how small, helps students broaden their horizons.

“With our fund, we hope we can support those in need,” he said. “Also, we hope the children become convinced of their ability to help.”

The 15-meter-tall tree drops nuts between September and December. The nuts smell and cause people slip on them if left on the ground. From about 7:30 a.m. to the start of classes each morning, an average of 20 pupils from all grades gather around the tree to pick up the nuts. (via the Yomiuri Shimbun.)

Posted by Kelly Schmitt Youngberg

Riverside Rambles hosts the upcoming Festival of the Trees. Deadline for your entries is November 29. To submit, email your entry to larry (dot) ayers (at) gmail (dot) com with “Festival of the Trees” in the subject line, or use the submission form at BlogCarnival.com.

Posted by Kelly Schmitt Youngberg

I hadn’t intended this hiatus to become as long as it has, but it did, and now I’ve returned.  I’m eager to fall back into the routine of scouring the world for ginkgo.

I have a few outstanding reader e-mails to respond to, and I expect to be able to process those shortly. Unfortunately, there are a number of older e-mails (and I do mean old) that won’t get an answer, as a sad computer event earlier this year wiped them out (just the e-mail, as I had everything else backed up). If you’d like a response, please again, and I’ll respond shortly.

Snow is falling outside my window as I write, big wet globs of it. Very likely all of the ginkgo leaves have fallen. A recent absence meant that I didn’t check up on my local ginkgos. I’ll make a drive by later this week to confirm.

In any case, I look forward to bringing you the best ginkgo I can find. It’s good to be back.

Posted by Kelly Schmitt Youngberg