Susan's great-grandfather Green Darsham bought the farm in 1903, and sometime not long after that, he planted a bunch of catalpa trees. The idea back then was that the catalpas would provide fence posts for the farm. One thing that catalpas really do provide is wildlife habitat. They are really great at providing dens for wildlife in their old age. This tree, in the front yard, has been a snake den for years, a home for squirrels, and now we know that opossums use the hollow stem for a home, too. Pretty neat!
I have a pair of catalpas growing on the farm that came from seed from a neighbor who has since passed away. Beautiful springtime flowers.
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