Happy Arbor Day! Sycamores of St. Louis

This year the last Friday of is today, April 24th, is Arbor Day. Since 1872, J. Sterling Morton has been advocating for planting trees for beauty, fuel, and soil conservation. Today, in our very urban life styles, we still need trees – native trees.

Each state of the United States has a state tree; the official tree of Missouri is the Flowering Dogwood. But I’m curious do cities have a special tree? I don’t think so. But if St. Louis had one it should be the Sycamore. The Sycamore is one of the more visually distinctive trees in the United States. It is a large hardwood tree that grows very tall. It is mottled in color –gray, brown, green, and a very distinctive smooth white bark. They are everywhere in St. Louis – along neighborhood streets and city parks.

Enjoy my pictures of Sycamore trees young and old, seed and tree, across the seasons.

Sycamore tree in summer

Sycamore tree in autumn.

Sycamore tree pods - with seeds inside

Sycamore pod (the seed of a sycamore tree)

that's the tiny seed

surrounded by light fluffy material similar to dandilion fluff.

Fallen leaves of a sycamore

Eyes of a needle.

The flaking, mottled bark of a Sycamore

I'm a Tree Hugger! Happy Arbor Day!