Poplar Trees

We have numerous poplar trees in our yard, and the number seems to grow by the year. Poplars have always been favoured by our family; they're beautiful (as all trees are), taller than any other eastern forest tree, and have a terrific, spicy scent when you crush their buds or leaves. One of our poplars was felled in a storm one year, and the buds rubbed against other trees as it crashed down; the entire area was fragrant. 

Poplar trees are also called 'tuliptrees' because of their tulip-like blossoms, which are orange and pale green to yellow. The trees flower from May to June. These flowers, along with green leaves, often fall in storms. Other names for this tree include 'yellow poplar' and 'tulip poplar,' although it is actually a relative of magnolias and not closely related to true poplars.     

These trees grow straight and may reach a height of 50-100 feet, with a diameter of two to six feet. Their leaves are six to ten inches. Their seeds are eaten by songbirds and squirrels. The fruits grow clustered together in an upright cone-like structure about three inches long; they are winged and whitish, about one to two inches long individually. Yellow poplars are the state tree of Indiana. Their leaves turn golden yellow in autumn.  

We got the photo from State Symbols U.S.A. (http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/Indiana/Tree_tulip_poplar.html). The information, aside from what we knew already, was gleaned from Eastern Trees, by George A. Petrides and Janet Wehr, statesymbolsusa.org, and the Arbor Day Foundation (http://www.arborday.org/treeguide/treeDetail.cfm?id=25).