@TreesParis

Paris is the world's best arboretum. Aux arbres, citoyens!

[@TreesParis @TreesParis]

A big Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) in front of the Mur de Graffiti, rue Jean Poulmarch, off Canal Saint Martin. As usual, in cracks and crevices all around it you see sprouts of this beautiful, vigorous, invasive tree species.

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The Japanese garden under the wingnut tree in Jardin des Serres d’Auteuil, one of the nicest spots in all of Paris.

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Place du Caire, Paris. Koelreuteria Paniculata.

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Place du Claire, Paris. Egyptian god looking at the autumn-red lanterns on a Koelreuteria. Trees and architecture, it does not get much better than this.

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Just on the other side of the périph from Palais des Congres, in Neuilly, this red valerian spilling out of a planter box. One of my favorite plants. They love alkaline soil, they can grow on limestone walls, even on the top of Mont Saint Michel.

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Wild flowers patch at Palais des Congres. The entire area has been spectacularly well redone, great bike lanes everywhere, plants, trees. Paris really has changed so much in recent years.

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Chinese mahogany, at Montparnasse cemetery entrance. Its leaves look like larger versions of the sophora japonicas on the same stretch

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Ha, finally saw another Chinese mahogany tree in Paris, on Boulevard Edgar Quinet, 14th, in front of the Montparnasse cemetery entrance. Toona sinensis

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These beautiful seeds grow on a Chinese mahogany tree in rue. d’Estrees, next to the health ministry in Paris. I have never seen this tree anywhere else. Called Toona Sinensis, its wingnut tree-like leaves are used as a vegetable in China, and to make a sauce in Southeast Asia.

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Oh beautiful #crackweed: a tobacco plant, with its delicate flowers. How did it get there, Rue de Cévennes, 15ième Paris, next to a parking meter, dog pee in a puddle at its feet.

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#Meulière houses are literally everywhere in the Ile-de-France region around Paris. Built between the late 1800s and early 1900s as villas for wealthy Parisians, they use the same stone that was used for millstones. Their ochre colour sets them apart. Many have lovely old gardens

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Architectural and natural splendor: a “meulière” house in Clamart with a #tamerisk tree in front of it.

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More food on the fence: pumpkins, grapes and pears in Malakoff and Vanves, two Paris suburbs with lots of hidden little roads and alleyways. Great for a bike tour.

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On the appropriately named Rue des Vignes in Clamart, south of Paris, grapevines on a street fence.

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In the space of one cobblestone. Streets of Ixelles, Brussels: you take out one cobblestone or a pavement stone and you plant a flowering shrub. Passionflower, hibiscus, roses. One cobblestone, one. How these plants get sufficient water and nutrients is a mystery, but it works

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Rarely used bike! That bold plant is flax leaf fleabane (erigeron bonarensis) a tough #crackweed that loves roadsides, waste dumps and building sites. And rue Fremicourt, in the 15th.

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Leaves and fruit of the Paper mulberry. Would not have been able to identify it without @PictureThisAI. In the old days it could take weeks to identify a tree, sometimes I would go ask city gardeners to be sure.

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Best-kept secret of the 16th arrondissement: Parc Sainte-Perine, hidden inside a large city block, with only two discreet entrances, is a mini-arboretum. This Paper mulberry (mûrier à papier, Broussonetia papyrifera) is one of its stars. Very rare in Paris parks.

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This explains why the huge Paulownia shoot on Quai Jacques Chirac has such massive leaves. It has no doubt been cut back many times. Thanks @Scott_Zona

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But if left alone, #Paulownia shoots can grow quite tall, like this one on Quay Jacques Chirac, across from the Eiffel Tower. Look at the size of these leaves. I hope Paris gardeners let it grow. Across the road, in May, the road is a blaze of blue when the Paulownias bloom.