budding ginkgo

Ginkgos are my favorite trees, and I can't tell you how delighted I am that their little larval leaves are finally coming in.  The top two photos are of the Pratt Ginkgo, a rather famous tree around UVa grounds due to its age and size.  It's a male, and you can see the cone-shaped "flowers" (but of course, these aren't really flowers because ginkgos are gymnosperms and developed before plants evolved flowering structures!).  The bottom two photos are of a female tree, and its little leaves are probably no bigger than a quarter of an inch across.

Ginkgos are considered "living fossils" because they are the last remaining species in their entire phylum (which is kind of a big deal).  Also, they were around during dinosaur times, which is pretty cool too.