Catalpa flowers

Catalpa trees seem like the last ones to get leaves, the last to get flowers and the first to lose their leaves.  The USDA has a write-up for those interested; I knew these as 'bean trees' when I was a boy.  It's late June, and the local catalpas are in bloom.  I was thinking of cropping this, but I sort of like the context.  On the left are sumacs (considered a pest in the city), in the middle are the catalpas and on the right are maple trees.  My guess is that only the maples were intentionally planted.  Something I learnt while researching this tree: catalpa is a mis-transcription of the original First Nation word catawba.

F Number	7.1
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	45.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 90.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/250
Exposure Program	Program AE
ISO	100
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire

Catalpa tree

This is the same catalpa tree I photographed in July. First to lose its leaves, right on schedule. The part that looks like foliage is a maple tree behind the catalpa.

Catalpa tree

The catalpa tree is almost the last tree to get its leaves, and the first one to lose them, but when it's canopy is full, it's a beautiful sight. Those large leaves provide plenty of shade and squirrels love to scamper among its branches.

This particular tree is in a neighbour's back yard. The long pods hanging down are seed pods. Many small catalpas will sprout in the spring all over the neighbourhood from those pods hanging down.