The Tallest Tree in the Neighbourhood.....In Our Yard

When my wife was in Grade 5 she planted this Northern Catalpa in our yard from a seed! First they planted the seedling in the backyard, but they noticed that a lot of insects were eating it, so they decided to transplant it to the front yard. It is now the tallest tree in the neighbourhood (which was largely built in 1985). The Northern Catalpa is not technically native to Southern Ontario, but it is a species that is native to the eastern deciduous forest, and has therefore coevolved with many of the native flora and fauna, meaning that interaction diversity is likely higher with this species than other non-native trees. It is fairly slow to get its leaves in the Spring (usually in late May) and the gorgeous white flowers last for about ten days. It's also one of the last trees to lose its leaves in the Fall, and the leaves stay green until they drop within a few days in mid November.

Northern Catalpa planted on our Oakville property by my wife and father-in-law in 1993