17 November 2010

A little bit of autumn

Although I live in a tropical climate now, I remain a Yankee at heart and for as much as I enjoy the fact that it will be 80 degrees today, there are times when I miss a bright autumn day in Pennsylvania. Maple trees get all the praise for turning red but it was the gingkos that always got my heart racing. Gingkos turn the most joyous yellow I've ever seen and they are the perfect respite from the winter everybody knows is coming.

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Gingkos hail from China originally but they've been naturalized in temperate climates the world over. They're a fascinating tree with a natural history that won't quit. So even though I never get a chance to see them anymore, I found something the other day that might bring a little of that gingko yellow into my otherwise tropical existence.


These brilliant leaves are printed so realistically I had to look twice to make sure weren't really gingko leaves.




These gingko post-its are from the South Korean design firm Apree and so far as I can tell they don't have  a US distributor. Hey US stationary and gift people, wanna make a whole lot of money? Get hold of Apree!

And for the rest of you, it doesn't stop with autumn gingko leaves, check out the rest of their stuff.

8 comments:

  1. This is a fantastic idea - why can't post-it notes be pretty? :-) And I want some of the water drop magnets - love them!

    Kelly

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  2. That settles it Kelly. Apree needs a North American rep. I nominate you.

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  3. Gingko trees are quite beautiful. HOWEVER (underline three times), the fruit of the gingko smells like a rotting corpse. It is truly disgusting. Additionally, this past August, whilst enjoying a picnic with a friend and our children, a gingko tree that was shading my seat viciously attacked me with one of its fruits. It stained my most beloved pair of cargo shorts, shorts that fit me when I am large and when I am lean and always make me look fabulous. They are irreparably stained and they are irreplaceable. I shake my scrawny little fist at that gingko in all of its splendor and warn those who might be similarly entranced by its beauty and its shade: do not sit beneath the gingko! Having survived since the time of the dinosaurs, the gingko has a savage biological imperative to survive and it is diabolical in its methods, hurling its rancid bounty at innocents. Beware.

    The post-its are awesome.

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  4. I love those!! Must buy. But can't. Rats!! So beautiful. Gingko trees/leaves are kind of a "big deal" where I live in Oak Park b/c they are part of the Arts & Crafts aesthetic, Japanese influence, FLW, etc. They are all over and do have a "stink" which is in fall, but gave a good scary smell to our trick-or-treating.

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  5. You'd be happy here today - the ginkos are scattering carpets of yellow-gold everywhere, and it's sunny and warm. I've been lucky to catch the end of Autumn in Wales, and then another one starting back yere in CA. Isn't life great?

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  6. Kathy: Believe it or not, gingko fruit are edible and to some people around the world, delectable. That's true in Japan particularly. Our pal Melody is just the person to attempt this recipe for you: http://nourish-me.blogspot.com/2008/05/gingko-nut-custards.html

    Gingkos are an ancient order of trees and they come in male and female trees. Only the females produce fruit. I always thought they smelled like vomit for what it's worth. Most cities won't plant females for this reason. I just read that they only stink like that when they're beginning to rot and the key is to harvest and eat them before they get to that point. Remember that next fall.

    Erika: That is a pretty appropriate smell for trick-or-treating, that's for sure.

    Sarah: You got two autumns this year? Lucky you. I haven't seen a real autumn since 2008. I saw winter twice last year and I'll see plenty of it in January and February (two continents and four countries!) and I'm aiming for an autumn again in 2011. Missing autumns aside, life is pretty great indeed.

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  7. The Gingko leaf has a beautiful silhouette which was popular in art noveau and arts and crafts design. If one can have a fave leaf, this is mine.

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  8. Thanks for the comment Gloria. DuQuella Tile does some amazing tile patterns built around the ginkgo. I can't get enough of them.

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