Winged Elm

The morning light was still gray when I climbed the ladder to try to get a photo of the twig with its corky ridges. Ulmus alata is the botanical name and those corky, ridged wings on young stems are a hallmark of this native of tree. 

Winged Elm is a fast growing deciduous tree endemic to the woodlands of the southeastern and south-central United States. Elms are host plants to over 200 butterfly and moth species (think important bird food) and squirrels and chipmunks eat the nutlets of the samaras.  It has delightful early spring blooms that pop against a blue sky, but, today they're a silhouette promise of what's to come.

xoxogail


Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.