Most Ancient Tree

Aren't trees awesome! 

I mean, ALL trees ...

...  but in actual fact, it transpires that some trees 

are even MORE awesome than you first guessed!

This is me (left) and April Song. 

You may recognise my dear friend 

and soul sista from earlier blogs.

Today, after a wonderful catch up in Greenspace Gallery, Carmarthen, we didn't feel we wanted to go home, so we went to the woods at 

Carmarthen Museum in Abergwili. 

I have been coming to this woods for many years. It's usually full of dog walkers when I come at tea time, but this afternoon, it was pretty much us, apart from the odd person or dog.

And we happened upon this exquisite tree

With cascading flutters of butterfly leaves

April knows a good deal about trees. 

Their names, their healing qualities, 

which ones make good buttons ...

But she did not know this one

So, I took photo's and then when I got home I sent one to my friend Rob. This is Rob (below) at The Men's Shed Project. I'll let you work out which one looks clever enough to  know everything there is to know about ... well ... just about everything it seems, though he doesn't shout about it. On the contrary, he's most unassuming about his wisdom and wizardry.

And it tuns out that our tree is really a rather ancient and rare species called

Ginkgo biloba

Now then, there is a male tree and a female tree and they pollinate each other, one having cones and the other having cone shape reciprocals. 

This has worked for them since dinosaurs ate their fluttering leaves. However, this particular tree is the last breed of the ancient species.

Here's a wiki link incase you're as fascinated as I am in this beautiful find:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginkgo_biloba