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^ Gingko tree in Jeonju Hyangol.

During autumn, the leaves of the gingko tree turn a gorgeous shade of yellow. And I can’t help but pause to admire the beauty of the gingko trees whenever I saw one in Korea, especially those which are very big and old.   The older, the more beautiful.

Looking at these trees always make me recall Albert Camus’s quote about autumn:

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.

However, the experience of admiring a gingko tree’s loveliness can be marred by the putrid smell of its rotting fruit on the ground.  The smell is excruciatingly bad, akin to walking past several rubbish dumps, and makes one want to throw up.  However, not every gingko tree produces fruits – only the female gingko trees do.

It is a good thing gingko trees are not found in a tropical climate like ours.  I can’t imagine what the rotting fruit would smell like in humid weather.

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Seoul: Stinko Gingkos

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