The Tree Exhibit was planted in 1997 with the help of Stan LeMaster who was a lifelong supporter and a member of the Friends of the Library.
Pictured from left to right; in the foreground is a Gone with the Wind Redbud, a George Rogers Clark Catalpa, a Buffalo Bill Cottonwood, and a Davy Crockett Box-Elder.Also pictured, the exhibit includes a Bunker Hill Oak, Buckingham Palace London Plane tree, MacArthur Catalpa, Casey Jones Willow Oak, and an Eisenhower Catalpa.
Some trees are much easier to identify than others. Examples of easy trees to identify the redbud blossoms will be an early sign of spring. Even in winter the "beans" are still hanging from the catalpa trees and seed pods are present on the sycamores. Oaks tend to hang on to their leaves throughout most of the winter. the cottonwood is a fast growing tree and has grown taller than similarly aged trees around it.
Happily most of the original trees are still present and appear healthy and growing. I will need to revisit as soon as spring arrives to make recheck my identifications. What a valuable resource for Jeffersontown and future generations to study and enjoy!
