May 16, 2017. Clear blue skies. Spring foliage has arrived (edit: and left – May 28).
If you’ve been outside on campus recently (which may not apply to a few of you given midterms and finals looming just around the corner), it’s hard not to notice that something has changed lately. Something appears a bit different… like seeing a friend for the first time after a haircut. Except your friend doesn’t look different, it’s the trees. And they didn’t get a haircut; they bloomed. Spring foliage has arrived on Dartmouth’s campus.
Now I could just show you a bunch of pictures I took a couple weeks ago and let you ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ at the pretty color of the flowers. Like the one above.
Or the one below.
But what fun would that be? (A lot.)
Instead, I will take you along on an identification field trip from my sister’s room in the McLaughlin clusters to my humble abode in the Choates. We begin our journey outside the Moore Psychology Building:
Our first species (pictured above and below):
The bright pink white flowers of this hawthorn tree were in full bloom. Hawthorns are known for the small fruit that grow on their branches, sometimes used to make jam or wine. Nicknamed the “May-Tree” for its breathtaking foliage and ripe fruits, the Hawthorn is home to many birds and mammals especially in the Winter. I remember just weeks ago, this same plant was a mundane green shrub on the side of the street. Now, it underwent a full makeover. That kid in the back of your fourth-grade class who had braces and wore a hoodie all the time is now in college and models for PacSun. I named this tree PacSun.
Next, I found myself on the infamous Webster Avenue. The fraternity houses weren’t the highlight of the street this afternoon; the trees planted in their front yards were. This one, planted on the lawn of Tri-Kap, was the best of the bunch (pictured below and the third picture from the top). Unfortunately, I didn’t have much luck identifying this tree, so, like that song you’ve heard once or twice that you really like but don’t know the name of, I named this tree “what’s this song called?” What’s this song called was buzzing with bees as the little stinging critters fed from the nectar of the bulbous flowers
Last but not least, I headed back to my room located in the small but cozy Choates Cluster. I was done taking pictures, or so I thought until I stumbled across this behemoth parked on the side of a trail.
Much to my chagrin, and like the plant above, I could not identify this darn thing. If you can point me in the right direction or know what these plants are, please contact me at my blitz. This tree was approximately 50 feet tall and easily was the largest plant in the vicinity. The paper white flowers grew in clusters along equally dense leaves. Its dark brown, black branches provided a nice contrast to the bright aesthetic of the flowers and leaves. If only I knew its name. This tree was named “The Really Tall Guy.”
This concludes my small journey across campus. Just this 20 minute walk produced some of the most beautiful plants I’ve seen all year. So please:
Go outside. Take a break from studying. Take a walk around Occom. Take your foco to go on the Green. The Sun has come, Spring has sprung here at Dartmouth.
Signing off,
Botany Brandon