A blooming event for an American Chestnut planted about ten years ago in the Solomon Gardens in Monson, Massachusetts.
This tree has been tended yearly by Sanguine Root staff  Sean Solomon and Isabelle Dijols.
On this hot and humid July day, pollinating insects are found on the numerous flowers.
This tree has gone through various stages of flowering, fruiting and blight, being reduced from a small tree to a small shrub and then back again over the years. This trunk appears unscathed by the blighting fungus, however, the bark is disfigured a few feet below this spot, pictured above.
Young leaves unfurl at the end of the branches.
Sadly, the tree will most likely die back after it produces fruit, being that it will use most of its resources in this process, leaving it vulnerable to the fungus.
By next year we will be cutting off all of these branches so the still-living roots can grow back up, possibly flowering again in a few years.
( Castenea dentata)
I found out about the plight of our American chestnuts from Barbara Kingsolver yrs ago. This one of yours is exciting. Is it in Maureen’s yard?
Penny, it certainly is a sad story, we can only imagine what the forests used to be like with the grand Chestnut trees in them! This tree is indeed in Maureens yard. Her forest is also full of them as well, many in the same state, unfortunately.