Listen ! It's a Lime.

Listen ! It's a Lime.
Originally uploaded by Ontario Wanderer

In Euell Gibbons' book, Stalking the Healthful Herbs, I was introduced to the idea of listening and smelling for trees. He was searching for the Basswood tree (Tilia americana). The photo above is of a close European relative (Tilia cordata) or Small-leaved Lime also called the Small-leaved Lindin. It too can be found by sound and smell. The smell is of the tens of thousands of small flowers and the sound is of the many insects that it attracts. The tree area just buzzes with insect wing noises. It's a totally neat experience to be there when it blooms. This is one of several of the species that live in the RBG Arboretum.