This tree is found on the south side of Fairway Drive just east of its intersection with Greenbriar Court. It is a yew (
Taxus spp.). According to Melanie Choukas-Bradley's
City of Trees, the most common yew found in our area is the English yew (
Taxus baccata); compare the
Virginia Tech fact sheet. However, it could also possibly be a Japanese yew (
T. cuspidata; compare the
Virginia Tech fact sheet) or a hybrid between the two.
A close-up of the fruit, which is a naked seed (after all, this is a gymnosperm, or "naked seed" plant) surrounded by a fleshy red aril.
A goldenrod (
Solidago spp.) gone to seed, with white hairy tufts emanating from the seeds, ready to carry them off. Note that goldenrods, like dandelions and thistles, belong to the Asteraceae family; all three genera have seeds that are dispersed by the wind through white hairy tufts.
This tree, and another one like it, are found on the southwestern corner of the intersection of Fairway Drive with North Shore Drive. It is a Japanese pagoda tree, also known as a Chinese scholar tree (
Styphnolobium japonicum), which is native of China rather than of Japan. Compare the
Virginia Tech fact sheet and this
Wikipedia page.
The long seed pods that look like a string of pearls are very much in evidence now. These pods also remind us that this plant is a member of the Fabaceae family, which also includes beans, peas, and other pod-bearing legumes.
