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by Andy Mead Our Tree of the Month for August is a pin oak (Quercus palustris) on Kilrush Drive in Cardinal Valley. We’re featuring it to encourage people to not plant this species and to understand why this once wildly planted and appreciated tree is not a wise choice. The tree appears to be healthy but could be showing signs of leaf scorch. In many cases, Lexington has had bad experiences with pin oaks. Pin oak at Kilrush Food Forest. Photo by Andy Mead. If you have a pin

By Andy Mead This black cherry (Prunus serotina) is off Wilson Downing Road, between Southern Middle School and Southern Elementary School, near the entrance to the city’s Meadowbrook Golf Course. Native black cherry tree between Southern Middle and Southern Elementary Schools' campuses. Photo by Andy Mead. The deciduous species, also known as wild black cherry or rum cherry, can be found from southeastern Canada through the eastern United States to eastern Texas. There are d

The June Tree of the Month is the oldest cross-dated documented tree in Kentucky, and it lives in a corner of Fayette County. We know its age because its rings have been counted and their pattern of thick and thin rings matched to nearby trees of the same species. It is so old that it has a name: Woody C. Guthtree, and a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/woody.guthtree/. The “C” stands for chinkapin because the tree is a chinkapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii). This year

By Andy Mead The May Tree of the Month isn’t a particular species, but it is often the first thing people see as they approach our homes. We’re talking about street trees. Lexington has more than 53,000 of them, mostly maples, oaks, dogwoods and sycamores. Three blackgum trees (Nyssa sylvatica) line a Lexington street. By Andy Mead The street tree you choose may be large, medium or small, depending on your location and the crucial factor of the presence or absence of overhead

By Andy Mead​​ The November Tree of the month is this beautiful specimen in the Lexington Cemetery that has a confusing name: The Sycamore Maple (Acer pseudoplatanus). The confusion is clarified when you know that the first part of its Latin name means it is a maple and the second part means “false sycamore.” Sycamore Maple in Lexington Cemetery, Lexington, Kentucky. By Greg Doyle. It is a fast-growing tree that can reach more than 100 feet in height and spread to 25 to 40 f

By Greg Doyle and Andy Mead Fraser fir with Colorado Blue Spruce in the background. Photo by Greg Doyle. Did you have a Christmas tree this year? Do you know the species? Many of us who rush out to buy a tree that has been shipped to a convenient nearby lot or box store end up with some kind of fir or spruce. Both are evergreens. Fir trees belong to the genus Abies and Spruce are the genus Picea. ​ The purpose of this month’s feature is to tell you a couple of simple ways to

By Andy Mead Devil's Walkingstick in African Cemetery No. 2 in Lexington, Kentucky. By Tyson Gregory. This Devil’s Walkingstick (Aralia spinosa) is located in African Cemetery No. 2 at 419 East Seventh Street. Trees Lexington planted two at this location. The cemetery has graves dating to the early 1800s. After years of restoration and tree planting, it is an accredited arboretum. ​ Devil’s Walkingstick (sometimes listed at Devil’s Walking Stick and also known as Hercules’ C

By Andy Mead Full form Bottlebrush Buckeye at the Isaac Murphy Memorial Art Garden in Lexington, Kentucky. By Greg Doyle. The July Tree of the month is actually a large shrub. It is the Bottlebush Buckeye (Aesculus parviflora). It comes with plenty of plusses and a word of caution.​You can see the specimen in the photo on the back side of the Isaac Murphy Memorial Art Garden at 577 East Third Street (on the corner of E. Third and Nelson Avenue). ​ Bottlebrush Buckeye is a de

By Greg Doyle, Andy Mead, and Tyson Gregory Japanese Hornbeam tree at Henry Clay Estate. By Greg Doyle. This Japanese hornbeam (Carpinus japonica) is located on the grounds of the Henry Clay Estate off Fincastle Road near the intersection of Woodspoint Road. A small-to-medium deciduous tree, the Japanese hornbeam grows 20 to 30 feet tall, but can reach 50 feet in its native habitat. It is a native of Japan and was introduced into this country in 1895. The literature regar

By Greg Doyle, Andy Mead, and Tyson Gregory Willow Oaks flanking sidewalks at the University of Kentucky at the intersection of Woodland Avenue and Hilltop Avenue. By Greg Doyle. These rows of Willow Oaks (Quercus phellos) were planted in the late 1960's as a landscaped shaded walkway to the former Kirwan Blanding dormitories on the University of Kentucky campus. One row leads from the intersection of Woodland Avenue and Hilltop Avenue, while a longer row runs from the inters

By Greg Doyle, Andy Mead, and Tyson Gregory​ Saucer magnolia flowers. April’s featured tree is the Saucer Magnolia (Magnolia x soulangeana), sometimes called Tulip Magnolia, located on Fontaine Road near the corner of High Street. This popular hybrid results from the breeding efforts of the renowned French horticulturist Étienne Soulange-Bodin, who announced his success with the plant in 1826. The parent species, the Lily Magnolia (Magnolia liliiflora) and the Yulan Magnolia

By Greg Doyle Leaf and buds of weeping beech in Lexington Cemetery, Section 45, Greg Doyle​​ This Weeping Beech (Fagus sylvatica 'Pendula') measures 51 inches DBH and is located in Section 45 at the Lexington Cemetery. This particular type of Beech tree is a cultivar of the deciduous European Beech, which is a dominant tree found in European forests. The original tree was discovered on the grounds of an English park in 1836 and has been propagated by grafting limbs. Its leave

By Greg Doyle and Tyson Gregory Red Pine and Scots Pine, while easily confused, are uncommon in Lexington. Both have two needles per bundle (fascicle), requiring us to examine other characteristics for identification. Bark: Mature Scots Pine displays distinctive orange-red bark on its side branches. Red Pine, conversely, features gray-brown bark with subtle red-orange undertones on upper branches. Needles: Scots Pine needles are typically sharp, 2-3 inches long, and blue-gr

By Greg Doyle and Tyson Gregory American Basswood at the corner of Columbia and Park Avenues, Greg Doyle This month, we recognize the significant impact of an American Basswood (Tilia americana) that until recently stood on the corner of Park Avenue and Columbia Avenue. ​​Fast Facts about the American Basswood: Also known as American Linden, this fast-growing deciduous tree features large, heart-shaped leaves and fragrant yellowish-white flowers. A favorite among beekeepers,

By Greg Doyle and Tyson Gregory White Ash tree in Lexington, Greg Doyle​​ This large 45.5 inch DBH male White Ash (Fraxinus americana) is located on the University of Kentucky campus near the parking lot behind the William T. Young Library. This deciduous tree is native to Eastern and Central North America and can grow 60 to 90 feet tall with a canopy of 40 to 80 feet. White Ash trees are best grown in full sun in rich well-drained loamy soils and are relatively drought toler

By Greg Doyle, Tyson Gregory, and Amy Steele, with input from ISA Certified Arborists Dave Leonard and Barry Duncil Ohio Buckeye tree in Lexington, Greg Doyle​​ This co-national champion Ohio Buckeye tree (Aesculus glabra) is located on the grounds of Catholic Charities of Lexington at 1310 West Main Street. When last measured in 2016, it was recorded to have a height of 86 feet, a crown spread of 57 feet, and a DBH of just over 4.6 ft. This specimen possesses a total score o

Our tree of the month for April was inspired by Rachel Cook, a botanist who is Trees Lexington’s Director of Programs. She writes: Rachel's tulip poplar in the valley of her family's farm. “While growing up on the family farm in Washington County, I often admired the beauty of a massive tree in the valley. It was clearly a remnant tree that had survived logging and farming, much older and gnarly than the trees around it. The land was used for tobacco farming before our fami

By Andy Mead The Marybeth McAlister Memorial Bur Oak. Our Tree of the Month for March is the bur oak, which is Lexington’s official tree. This article will begin with one particular bur oak, which is informally known as The Marybeth McAlister Memorial Bur Oak. The tree is in my back yard. Marybeth McAlister was my wife. Several months after she died in early 2014, my friend Rob Pokorney planted a tiny tree that he had sprouted from an acorn. Rob said the acorn had good genes;

By Andy Mead Our tree of the month feature for February takes us 30 miles out of Lexington to visit an Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera) at Old Fort Harrod in Harrodsburg in Mercer County. The species is native to Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas, but apparently was planted at the fort around the time the frontier outpost was built in 1774. The Fort Harrod osage orange in all its glory. The sign informing Fort Harrod visitors of the tree's record setting measurements and ineligibil

The January Tree of the Month is a genus of six evergreens in the cypress family called Chamaecyparis, or False Cypress. The species are native to the North American coasts and temperate East Asia. The genus name combines the Greek words chamai, for "dwarf or low to the ground" and kuparissos, for "cypress.” They are medium to large trees that reach 50 to 90 feet in landscape settings. Their vertical growth habit means they often are used as screens or windbreaks or grouped