Scents of the City
No, not that. I’m talking about the fragrant aroma of flowering trees that proliferate in the city right now. They are a gift from Mother Nature.
My walks for the last two days focused on hunting down the flowering linden trees and my new favorite discovery, the Japanese Tree Lilac. The NYC Tree Map came in very handy. I mapped out my route based on where the trees were shown on the map.
The first time I saw a Japanese Tree Lilac was out of the corner of my eye a few days ago. It was the profusion of white flowers that caught my attention. Accented by the scores of bumble bees that were buzzing around in bee frenzy. I didn’t notice the scent so much that day, I must have been in a hurry. Yesterday I was just lingering under the trees to take in the full glory of the lilac scent.
The linden trees are also flowering now and they too have a wonderful fragrance. If I failed to notice the tree as I was walking by, my noise alerted me to its presence. The configuration of the flowers is distinctive because they grow out of a bract. I had to look that one up. They are cascading in clusters and very beautifully delicate.
It was interesting to discover that I had a long time relationship with linden trees. As a printmaker of woodcuts, I have worked on bass wood frequently. I didn’t know it is the common name for linden trees. The wood is relatively soft and easy to work on.
I am a frequent consumer of Ricola cough drops. By happenstance while perusing the ingredients I noticed that linden flowers are used in their herbal mix. It is an important ingredient in many herbal medicines. I knew I had an affinity with this tree!
Take a walk and find the fragrant flowering trees in your neighborhood.
