Breathe Deep: The Black Locusts Are Blooming!

We certainly hope you are as fortunate as we feel right now. As we take our daily "urban hike" down sidewalk on Hopper Road in Cape Girardeau, we are lucky enough to have the fresh scents of the Black Locust (Robina pseudoacacia and may also go by the less commonly used False Acacia) floating on the breeze for us to enjoy throughout our trek. In the rare spots that we cannot smell the sweet fragrance from the Black Locust the fresh Honeysuckle fills our senses instead. The smell is so intense and so sweet, I wish I could bottle it to refresh my memory of a warmer time during the Midwestern winters...

How To Identify A Black Locust

Above is a photo of the very Black Locust blossoms that have been providing us so much olfactory satisfaction this May. You may identify the trees by their compound leaves, raceme hanging white to purple blossoms, and, of course, that highly noticeable aroma. These trees may reach a height of over 70 feet and are similar in appearance to the Honey Locust, although the Black Locust lacks those frightening looking thorns! The Black Locust is native in the United States from Pennsylvania to northern Georgia and stretches its home as far to the west as Arkansas and Oklahoma.