THINGS TO SEE
Imagine yourself taking a break on a sunny day under the Mesozoic shade of a Turners Falls ginkgo tree–an ancient species almost lost to the world 5 million years ago. Actually, we needn’t imagine: Ginkgo trees are alive and well today at the corner of Avenue A and 5th Street in Turners Falls.
THINGS TO KNOW
Once abundant in the Triassic and Jurassic periods around the world, the ginkgo almost went extinct about 5 million years ago, except for a small area of central China where the modern species survived.
Ginkgos are called living fossils. What does it take to earn that moniker? Like the famous coelacanth fish, you need to be a member of a species otherwise known only from fossils. Plus, you’ve got to have no close living relatives. You should have an extremely long lifespan (some ginkgos at Chinese temples are believed to be over 1,500 years old!), a slow reproduction rate, a wide and apparently contiguous range, and a low population density.
Despite its reputation as a living fossil, the ginkgo is a hardy tree that can tolerate the often polluted and confined soils of cities. It is disease-resistant and rarely attacked by insects. Male trees are particularly valued (some people find the female tree’s seeds noxious) and are a popular choice to line the streets of many of the world’s cities.
NEXT STOP
Continue along Avenue A to 1st Street, head toward the river, and turn right (east) to walk along the bike path where it follows along the river. At the end, you’ll come to a parking lot.
