The Osage Orange Tree

This year in lieu of taking the comprehensive final Environmental Science exam, our son had the option to do a leaf/tree identification project.  There were about 26 trees that needed to be found.  Luckily we started before Mother's Day and completed the project a few days before school was finished.

Each photo had the dry erase board with the tree name written on it.  He had to show the leaves of the tree.  This tree is kinda the "joke" of the packet to me.  The little card says, "Thank you for your order!!"  I purchased the last tree that we could not find on Etsy!  Thank you Etsy for coming through again.

This may have been the nicest plant I have ever received that was shipped to me.  It as packaged in common materials such as a cheap paper towel to keep it moist, great soil mix, newspaper, tape, and a plastic bag in a box stuffed with newspaper so that it didn't get shook up too much by UPS.  Look how moist and fresh those leaves look!

The Etsy shop is here.  It's called BlazingStarButterfly.

We planted it in the protected area of the chicken yard.  They shouldn't bother it here since they have so many of my other freshly transplanted plants to tear out outside of the little fenced-in areas.  They really did a number on my corabells that I finally split and transplanted yesterday.  After the tree becomes established I will transplant it to a better area where a larger tree can grow.  This tree is known to us as a hedge apple tree.

School was out on Friday, 5/23.  I think it's funny that I got a text from the school at 8:15 that morning saying that it was the last day of school for some students.  Luckily I'm a mom that's on top of that stuff.  Some students still have exams this week.  Our son did the alternative projects.  I think this tree will be a nice high school memory in the years to come.

Happy Memorial Day!