Gerloids and Other Oddities

A member of the mulberry family, the tree that bears these grapefruit-sized fruits goes by several names:  Osage Orange, Hedge Apple, Monkey Brains, Bois D’Arc, and Gerloid. (The latter is a made-up name from my youth and the one that sticks with me.  I hope it catches on.)

There is conflicting information about edibility.  Some sites claim they are edible by humans while others report they are inedible and cause vomiting.  I’ve never been tempted, since any handling releases latex-y sap.  Squirrels and deer eat the seeds but serving as cover seems to be the trees’ primary wildlife value.  The fruit may have been eaten by long-extinct ground sloths, mammoths, and mastodons.

Millions of the thorny trees were planted in the first half of the last century as living fences to contain cattle.  The wood is hard and used for tool handles, fence posts, and bows.   Dried wood burns hot and long.

We’ve seen Ghost Deer since 2008 but didn’t see her last winter and expected the worst.  She reappeared last week!  Of course, there could be more than one in the neighborhood but they’re quite uncommon.  I hope to get another picture in the coming weeks that will include her head.  :o)



The Witch Hazel flowers seem especially fat and vibrant this fall.  I’ve read that ripened seeds will explode and shoot up to 30 feet.  I’ve always thought it would be fun to lay out a sheet on the ground and do some measuring of my own.  I’ll keep an eye on the seeds when they ripen.

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It was shaping up to be a beautiful, colorful autumn, when strong winds and rains came through a couple of weeks ago and blew most of the leaves off the trees.  The past week has been beautiful, with clear, sunny skies, low humidity, no! mosquitoes!, and cool temps.

Trees and insects are going to sleep, summer birds are gone or making travel plans, flowers have had their day, and we’re settling into late fall.