Uncover the weather secrets behind the golden ginkgo

Autumn is here. As the temperature gradually drops, the ginkgo tree opens its most gorgeous chapter of the year, with the tree full of golden color, attracting countless people's attention. Behind this, there are the doors of weather. How does temperature, rain and snow affect the color change rate and viewing of ginkgo? There are also 7 little-known facts about ginkgo. Do you know them?

Uncover the weather code behind ginkgo viewing: temperature, rain, snow and wind are all driving factors

Every autumn, ginkgo trees change into beautiful costumes, from bright green to golden yellow, using the changes in their colors to play the changing of seasons. What weather codes are behind the yellowing of ginkgo leaves?

On October 26, the autumn colors dyed Beijing, and the ginkgo trees were golden and beautiful. (Photo/Wang Xiao, China Weather Network)

Li Jing, a meteorological analyst at China Weather Network, said that the time of cold air arrival and the extent of temperature drop are the main meteorological factors affecting the start of ginkgo leaf color change. Generally speaking, the earlier the cold air arrives and the lower the temperature drops compared to the same period of previous years, the earlier the ginkgo starts to change color, and the earlier the best viewing period will come. Usually when the temperature is 0℃ to 5℃, the color change of ginkgo leaves accelerates, but when the temperature is below 0℃, the leaves are easily frozen and fall off.

Rain, snow and strong winds will directly affect the duration of the ginkgo landscape. The 5 to 6 winds brought by the cold air can blow all the leaves off overnight, and the strong rain and snow hitting the leaves will accelerate the falling of the leaves. Under the influence of rain, snow and strong winds, the leaves gradually wither and the ground is covered with "golden yellow", which means that the ginkgo viewing period is coming to an end.

Ginkgo has many little secrets. Learn about these 7 little-known facts

Beneath the beautiful appearance of ginkgo, there are actually many little "secrets". Do you know these little-known facts about ginkgo?

● Is Ginkgo a living fossil from the dinosaur era?

Ginkgo has come from the dinosaur era and can be called a living fossil. It is the oldest gymnosperm left over from the Quaternary glacial movement. Its "relatives" in the same category as it have all become extinct.

● Is there a gender difference in ginkgo?

Some people have planted ginkgo trees for many years, but the amazing thing is that they have never produced ginkgo nuts. This is because they planted male trees. Ginkgo is dioecious, with male and female trees, and only female trees can produce ginkgo nuts.

● Aren’t ginkgo nuts the fruit of ginkgo?

The "fruit" on the ginkgo tree looks similar to apricots, so some people think it is the fruit of ginkgo, but it is not. Ginkgo is a gymnosperm and has no fruit. The ginkgo nuts we often eat are the seeds of ginkgo. In addition, ginkgo nuts contain a variety of trace toxins. Steaming or baking can minimize the toxicity, but you should not eat too much.

● “Birds of a feather flock together” to spread seeds?

When we appreciate ginkgo, we often smell the smell of ginkgo seeds, which is like the smell of spoiled fat and rotten fruit. Some people say that people feel it is smelly, but some animals are not. Instead, they are attracted by the smell and help spread the seeds far away. Another theory is that this smelly seed coat is a "protective measure" for ginkgo. It contains chemicals such as ginkgolic acid. If some animals accidentally eat it, it may cause severe allergic reactions.

● Grandpa plants trees and only then does his grandson reap the fruits?

Ginkgo trees grow slowly. It usually takes more than 20 years from planting to bearing ginkgo biloba, and forty years before they can bear ginkgo biloba in large quantities. Therefore, some people call it the "Gongsun Tree", which means "Gong plants and grandson eats".

● Are ginkgo and apricot related?

Ginkgo is not an apricot, so why is its name related to apricot? Li Shizhen's Compendium of Materia Medica records that ginkgo was used as a tribute in the early Song Dynasty. It was named ginkgo because it was shaped like a small apricot and its core was white.

● Ginkgo is also the name of a typhoon?

In 2021, "Ginkgo" officially replaced "Yutu" as one of the typhoon names, and there will be typhoons named "Ginkgo" in the future.