The G-ingko tree has some of the most beautiful leaves I have ever seen. They are so simple and yet their veins make them complicated. Their color of green is refreshing and you never see them turn brown and blow away in the wind. I even have a gingko Christmas tree ornament that someone gave me since moving to DC and I think it's so pretty I leave it up all of the time. I have seen jewelery in the shape of gingko leaves. But the other day I had to wait for a bus in this fair city and I got a little to close to the ripe gingko tree outside of EPA West on 14th St. The gag reflex that I lost in the seventh grade, that prevents me from vomiting, almost came back. Luckily, I seemed to miss getting any of its unique smell on my shoes or I would have had to cleaned my shoes. It is such a wretched stench and I want to know, why? What made the gingko tree go stinko? Is it someway of showing that it's poisonous, I don't think so. My sister told me they eat those gingko balls that fall off of it and smell so badly in Japan--It's a delicacy no less. Could it be a way to attract bugs to it so that it can pollinate or something? Any scientist out there, who can expain it? I would love to understand. I don't want to give the ginko a bad rap if there is a good reason for this aroma. Or maybe I just need to find a japanese restaurant that can roll me up some gingko.

Incidentally, I read that the slime from the fallen berries can often lead to a slippery sidewalk and is a known liability for real estate owners. So please be careful if you are walking down 14th between Pennsylvania and the Mall and DC residents need to be careful in particular. There are a g-damn lot of those trees here in DC.