The Beauty of the Linden #ThursdayTreeLove

It's linden time.  

The linden trees are blooming where I live in the Southern Tier of New York, in the Northeast United States.

I try to blog about them every year because they are beautiful and have such a delicious scent for their small flowers.  But these pictures are new, taken yesterday.

When full grown, the linden is a majestic tree.   It is hardy in USDA zones three through eight.

This street in Binghamton, New York is lined with them.

Some call it the basswood tree.  Some in Europe call it the lime tree (not our lime citrus tree, whose name is derived from Arabic). Not only is it a beautiful shade tree, and able to survive urban conditions, but it is a multi use tree.

The wood is excellent for hand carving.

The inside of the bark was used by native Americans for making cords and ropes.

Its sap was used by the Native Americans the Europeans called Chippewa or Ojibwa in a way similar to maple syrup.

 

If you've ever had basswood honey,this is the tree bees make that from.

These trees can live up to 200 years.   I wouldn't be surprised if the trees on this street are over 50 years old as it is in an older neighborhood.

Joining Parul of Happiness and Food today for her #ThursdayTreeLove this fourth Thursday of June.

Linden Tree Very Pretty #ThursdayTreeLove

 Once again, I present the majestic linden tree (also known as the basswood tree), which stopped blooming in my area of New York State a bit over two weeks ago.

 It may be hard for you to appreciate the size from a photo, but this is a big tree.   This particular street in Binghamton, New York (Grand Boulevard) is partially lined with these trees. I don't know how old these trees are, but I've read that some can have a lifespan of up to 1,000 years.

Some interesting facts about the linden.

The seed pods come out before the flowers open.

The flowers are fragrant and bees love them.  Looking at this picture, you may ask, where are the bees? There weren't too many.  They seem to decrease each year, a worrisome trend.

Let's take a last, long distance look.

Here's a post I wrote on these trees in a previous year with more information.

I'll be joining Parul at Happiness and Food, hopefully later today, for #ThursdayTreeLove.

Sweetness #WordlessWednesday

Walking on Grand Boulevard (yes, that is its name) in Binghamton, New York this afternoon, I inhaled the sweetness.

The linden trees are in full bloom.

Their small but powerful flowers are pumping out an intoxicating fragrance.  We walked in a world of scent.

If only I could share the fragrance with you.

What's happening in your corner of the world?

Join Esha and Natasha and link up with us, won't you?  Take a break from writing and share a picture or two with us.  I am also linking today with image-in-ing.

Sustainable Saturday - Linden Memories

When I moved to Binghamton, in upstate New York, in the 1980's, my first residence was in a neighborhood that had a Linden Street.

I never gave much thought to a street named after a tree.  In fact, I don't know if there are any linden trees on Linden Street.  But, there are some in the Binghamton neighborhood where I do my exercise walking, several miles away.

Tilia americana, Binghamton, NY

When full grown, it is a majestic tree.  But, as infomercials love to say, "But wait!  There's more!"

This tree is known as the linden, or basswood.  Some in Europe call it the lime tree (not our lime citrus tree, whose name is derived from Arabic). Not only is it a beautiful shade tree, and able to survive urban conditions, but it is a multi use tree.

The wood is excellent for hand carving.

The inside of the bark was used by native Americans for making cords and ropes.

 Its sap was used by the Native Americans the Europeans called Chippewa or Ojibwa in a way similar to maple syrup  The bloom are edible, too, and have medicinal uses.  A tea can be made from them.  And, the bees love them - if you've ever had basswood honey,this is the tree bees make that from.

(Caution: as usual, be careful when foraging any wild plant.  And, some people are allergic to these flowers.  I am not a wild food expert, and my provided links are for your reading pleasure only.)

As the trees age (these trees can live to 200 years old, or even longer) they start to decline.  The holes become shelter for various wildlife.

If that wasn't enough, foresters use this tree as a tree "canary", a first signal of environmental change.


Now, in late May, the trees are getting ready to bloom.  I am eager to smell their delightful scent once again.  Last year, they didn't seem to bloom heavily but this year, the trees are loaded.




Happy Saturday to you!  Do you have a tree in your area with delightful scented flowers?