Flora Friday: Honey locust tree
If you are smelling something good in the neighborhood right now it is likely these tiny flowers. Honey locust trees flower in late spring and have a very sweet scent. Pollinators like native bees love them. They have lacy compound leaves (tiny leaflets on a central stem) and some honey locusts have thorns coming straight out of their trunks. Other do not. Later, bean-like pods form from the flowers and these drop in early winter. Honey locusts are resilient street trees because they survive a wide range of soil conditions as well as drought, and road salt. Tree pit tips: Do install a tree guard to discourage dogs from peeing on the root flare area. Do water in drought. Do not raise the soil around a tree's trunk to make a "bed" because this will cause the protective bark to rot and admit pathogens, and this kills the tree slowly. More info about stewarding street trees: https://tree-map.nycgovparks.org/tree-map/learn