April 27 American Elm

Running around the Lakeshore Preserve again this morning I saw and heard a lot of wood duck action, as pairs flew up and out of the Picnic Point Marsh, out over Lake Mendota, and high into the trees, squealing as they went. The lake was beautiful and plenty of green is showing on trees and shrubs in the woods now. I was walking up the prairie and after stopping to watch a robin gulp a worm down, I noticed this tree with its distinct oval fuzzy fruits (flowers that have already grown into seed pods) and a few leaves popping out of alternate buds. I thought through my trees and just didn't know what it was. I read later on and found out that this plus several other american elms (Ulmus americana) line the west side of the Biocore Prairie. Elms were the favorite street tree in America for a while during our first rapid urbanization phase at the turn of the twentieth century. When planted in a row along a boulevard, they make an excellent wall with tall, broad crowns. Unfortunatly, Dutch Elm Disease swept through the East a long time ago and very few urban elms survived. The elms in the Preserve likely are not wild, but intentionally planted after the old farms were donated to the University. I later noticed four young elms growing on University Ave in front of Grainger Hall. I hope these stay healthy and form a beautiful street wall in twenty years.