My Grandma had sycamore trees in front of her house. I loved the squishy poke balls when I was a kid, how they just break apart when you squeeze them. I never knew what they were called, and even a few years ago, thought they were the same as maples, with different fruits. So, just to be clear, they're not. Similar leaves, but different everything else.
Sycamore has the most beautiful bark. It's sometimes bumpy, but mostly it's mottled, with tan and cream.
Catalpa, though, has ordinary looking bark, and different everything else. The leaves are enormous and heart shaped.
The flowers look like some kind of orchid. Way too pretty for a tree.
And the bean pods (which don't have beans in them, but papery type seeds) persist over winter, which makes for a striking silhouette. The most remarkable thing about catalpa to me, though, is its irregular growth. It looks like it belongs in fairy land, which I just love.
I have collected some sycamore and catalpa seeds from a couple of places around town, and I'm gonna try to grow trees from seed. Wish me luck!(images from here, here, here and here.)
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