Tulip poplar.  Liriodendron tulipifera.  Deciduous, conical shaped, great shade trees, can reach 100 feet.

Some people see them as weeds because they grow so fast!!  Not me, I love them!!  

 

So do honey bees.  They bloom in late spring, about the same time as blackberries.  Bees collect nectar from both and turn it into wildflower honey.  

 

Tiger Swallowtail butterflies use them as hosts.  They overwinter in the pupa stage, and hatch out in early spring. They are one of the first butterflies we see in spring.

 

The flowers are shaped like tulips, and are green and orange.  Even the leaves are shaped like tulips!  

 

You may know tulip poplar from the building supply department at Home Depot.  They call it yellow poplar.  It was used for masts in the process of shipbuilding, due to the straightness of the trunk before branching.  I suppose that contributes to its value in building materials:  straight grain.

 

Next time you're in the woods and you see a tall, straight, grayish trunk, look up, and you'll probably think of a ship's mast.  I hope you do.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!