Tulip Tree Wrap-up

February 8, 2015 by solarbeez

March 4, ’14…It’s a mystery tree at this point.

April…The shape of the leaf identifies the Tulip tree

May…Tulip Tree in full glory

June…blossoms finally open for business

July…Blossoms aging. I know how it feels.

August…blossom turns into seed pod

September…turning color

October…seed pods ready to fall

November…I’ll be raking soon

December…No leaf blowers for us. We do it the hard way.

January ’15…All the leaves are gone and the sky is gray

Things I learned this year…

• The Tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipfera) also called the American Tulip, Tulip Poplar, or Yellow Poplar is a member of the Magnolia family. It’s an important nectar source for bees across Tennessee, Kentucky, and much of the eastern US.

• The wood of choice for organs, panels of carriages, coffin boxes, wooden ware and because it’s resistant to termites, house and barn sills were made using tulip poplar beams.

• The wood is lightweight and was preferred by Native American tribes in the construction of canoes.

• Tea was made from the inner bark to treat fevers and indigestion.

• The bark can be chewed for an aphrodisiac.

Many thanks to Lucy Corrander at Loose and Leafy for hosting the Tree Following blog

If you have keen powers of observation, a curiosity about nature, and a camera to record tree changes, please consider following a tree.

Posted in Follow a tree, Tulip Tree, Uncategorized | Tagged American Tulip tree, Liriodendron tulipfera, Tulip Tree, Tulip tree blossom, Tulip tree leaf, Tulip tree seed pod | 16 Comments

16 Responses

on February 8, 2015 at 7:27 pm | Reply clairehall134

Wow!! So cool!
- on February 8, 2015 at 7:33 pm | Reply solarbeez
  
  Thank you, Clair. Think about following a tree. You never know how much you’ll learn. 🙂
  - on February 8, 2015 at 7:36 pm clairehall134
    
    I think I will! What a fun idea! Thanks for sharing!
on February 8, 2015 at 11:15 pm | Reply Emma Sarah Tennant

‘The bark can be chewed for an aphrodisiac’, I wonder who discovered that!
- on February 9, 2015 at 12:07 pm | Reply solarbeez
  
  I wondered about that too, but it’s more ecologically sensible than powdered rhinoceros horn. 🙂
on February 9, 2015 at 4:29 am | Reply Eddy Winko

What a great tree, interesting to hear about the properties of the wood, I was wondering what to make my canoe out of 🙂
- on February 9, 2015 at 11:57 am | Reply solarbeez
  
  I’ll send you some seeds so you have plenty of time to think about it. 🙂
  - on February 9, 2015 at 1:14 pm Eddy Winko
    
    🙂
on February 9, 2015 at 9:19 am | Reply 2boys1homestead

I had no idea tulip trees flowered….that’s beautiful!!
- on February 9, 2015 at 12:00 pm | Reply solarbeez
  
  East of the Mississippi, tulip trees grow so tall, you can’t see the blossoms. I asked someone about that. He said you have to climb a steep hill behind the tree and look down. Our tulip trees in the Pacific Northwest are much more reasonable. 🙂
  - on February 9, 2015 at 12:28 pm 2boys1homestead
    
    Beautiful!
on February 15, 2015 at 3:50 am | Reply Emily Scott

A gorgeous tree and fascinating facts about it too. Have you been brave enough to try chewing the bark yet?!
- on February 15, 2015 at 10:13 pm | Reply solarbeez
  
  Uh no…but if you’d like to try some, I can ask the owners for you. 🙂
on February 15, 2015 at 9:58 am | Reply Lucy Corrander

So many things. And as I hadn’t registered all of them properly in passing I was glad of the summary. What tree next?
- on February 15, 2015 at 10:11 pm | Reply solarbeez
  
  It’ll either be a mystery tree or a willow. I’d like to talk with the owners before I commit to the mystery tree. I’ve got the willow at home and while it’s a very common tree, I might have something to add to the conversation.
on February 27, 2015 at 3:52 pm | Reply dirtywordsgarden

its been fun to follow along with you and your tree. 🙂