May 4, 2019

This Week's Tour...
...met at 9:00AM Saturday on the Beltline Eastside Trail near Parish. We walked for 1 1/2 hours, covering 1 mile of the Beltline, ending at Ponce City Market.

"The Tourists"...
...shouting out to this week's tour group!

Thanks for joining me, friends and family!

Map of the week...
City of Atlanta Boundaries. City limits reached the eastside of the intersection of the Beltline and Ralph McGill in 1904...the westside of the intersection wasn't incorporated until 1909.

Annexation Map of Atlanta

(Thanks, GSU | University Library!)

Tree of the week...
...singling out one of the hundreds of specimens from the dozens of collections along the arboretum.

Quercus muehlenbergii

Chinkapin Oak (White oak family)

"Stump" of the week...
...featuring the favorite question raised during the tour that Jeff couldn't answer!

Q: Chris asked, "What is the lifespan of an elm?"

A: Neighbor Jeff found out, "Boy oh boy, does that depend! Prior to the arrival of Dutch Elm Disease in North America in the 1930's, it wouldn't be unusual for an elm to reach 400 years in age. Today, with the bushier and quicker growing 'Princeton' variety being "the" North American elm, the lifespan of an elm that can survive in North America is about 150 years."