If Trees Could Sing: Ben Folds

Singer-songwriter Ben Folds talks about the benefits of trees like the sweetgum.

Singer-songwriter, piano player and record producer Ben Folds first made a name for himself in alternative rock and pop as the leader of the Ben Folds Five between 1995 and 2000. Since then as a solo artist, he has released six albums and has collaborated on musical projects ranging from an album with actor William Shatner to his most recent album, So There, featuring a piano concerto performed with the Nashville Symphony.

More music artists talk about trees . . . 

Sweetgum Facts

• Scientific name: Liquidambar styraciflua
• Range: across most of the Eastern U.S. into Texas
• Height: up to 100 feet tall
• Fruit: a spiny round, long-stemmed fruit known as a "gumball"
• Fall colors: leaves turn yellow, orange, red and purple
• Distinguishing feature: Like pin oaks, sweetgums produce pin-like, diminutive spur branches on larger branches. The spiny gumball is the fruit of the sweetgum tree and contains its seeds.
• Moth food: The leaves of the sweetgum are a favorite food source for Luna Moth caterpillars.

You Can Take Care of Trees Like the Sweetgum

• Plant in late fall or winter when the tree is dormant, unless the ground is frozen. 
• Allow plenty of room for the tree to mature and grow.
• Water it regularly in its first three years.
• Spread mulch around the base of the tree. 

Mighty Cool Tree Fact

Did you know... over the course of 50 years, a single tree can provide $62,000 worth of air pollution control?